Living Shadows
by The Unpredictable Muse
Summary: She should have died in that alleyway, but he saved her. Now, in servitude she served him, even if she despised the clan that counted her among its numbers. Lord Viktor, Lord Marcus, and Lady Amelia would soon learn that they weren't the only elders alive in an ever chaotic world.
1. A Proper Warning - Introduction

From the Author

I adore Japan, so of course I set this fanfiction in the heart of Japanese culture. Almost all the characters you will see are my creation. I am researching a lot of Japanese culture and history and add to my bank of knowledge as I continue writing this. Because of the added information, my characters will develop – I may even edit chapters to include more accurate information.

With that said, I intentionally explore darker themes and touch upon things that bother me. The issue of consent is one of them – especially since 50 Shades of Rape, Stalking, and Sexual Assault hit theatres and is being paraded around as romance and a 'representation' of BDSM…

So if you don't like what I write, you are free to not read it. You are also free to suggest to me your interpretation of what I explore. I encourage this fanfiction to be a source of inspiration as much as idle entertainment for a mind. I won't apologize for anything in the fanfiction – life is cruel, yet we live through it.

Most Lovingly,

The Unpredictable Muse


	2. Separated

2035 A.D.

Sleek cars raced down the street, in the driver's seat a Japanese man dressed in the finest of black and white suits. In the passenger seat, a red headed woman with large brown eyes and brown leather crossed her legs and arms. Both determined not to glance at each other, much less trade a single word of conversation unrelated to the mission at hand. " Lucian requires us to ensure that the ambassador for the Old Coven doesn't escape this time, Makoto. If you disappoint him again-"

Makoto slammed on the break and forced the emergency brake as he drifted around a corner, forcing the woman against the door. She didn't bother buckling up since she considered herself above death's grasp. Weary eyes turned on the vampire, the wolfen woman tightlipped.

He turned coolly to stare at her as he released the e-brake and returned to pedestrian driving. " Don't you mean if _we_ disappoint him again,"

Breezing past a stop sign, he parked the car in an alley way across from the apartment building exclusively for vampires who did not live with respective clans or covens. Such outcasts, often referred to as 'the Lost', cared little for the trials living in close quarters with other supernaturals usually entailed. " Good night, Yvette, try not to howl at the moon as you walk to the metro," The snide parting remark inspired a snarl worthy of a lesser lycan. A Lycan of her age should know better than to let a vampire rile her.

Stalking toward the building, Makoto missed his Calypso. The blond he came to cherish and love currently entertained another man. From afar, he observed the lack of love in their touches. Even the way they addressed each other with a touch of sarcasm and wit, more often playful as of late, did not worry him. This man would never replace him in his beloved's heart, but their sanctified union would make reconciliation with her all that much harder. Perhaps the pureblood Riku would even fight for her.

He welcomed the challenge if it ever presented itself.

Thankfully Yvette did not mock him, for if she had, he might have put her into a wall. She walked away from the car hoping he got a ticket for speeding through a stop sign.

Opening the door after keying in his code, Makoto shoved his hands in his pockets. Like the others at the philanthropic event, he remained a nameless face that anonymously contributed a lot of money to a cause. The Old World Coven Ambassador attended, as their source informed them he would, and before Yvette could give the signal for the rest of his damned team, the ambassador caught her scent. With Yvette forced to flee, the ambassador remained among the humans long enough for a toast and two dances. Without back up Makoto stood no chance of bringing in the ambassador, a famed Death Dealer promoted by Amelia after the lycan's rumored significant decrease in numbers.

The soft lighting of the entrance revealed an entrance corridor lined with new gray and tan carpeting placed in an artsy geometric manner. Wood paneled walls decorated with landscape portraits made the place seem happier. For most tenants, the place gave them a place to rest easy. For Makoto it lacked the quality of home.

Stepping into the elevator, soft played classical music started over the speaker. His black ear bud, once indistinguishable from his hair, now outlined in neon yellow. He tapped the center of it, triggering the visor to extend across one eye with a holographic screen shaping into an eyeglass lense. " A phone call from –" The smooth female voice informed him before halting. " Lucian,"

" Answer," He ordered as he pressed the 6th floor button.

Lucian's crisp Cockney British accent followed seconds later. " The ambassador slipped away. What failed this time?"

Makoto rolled his eyes, not that Lucian could see. The device merely acted as a smaller, smarter cell phone. Without a camera, unless one had the newer model. He chose to keep the older model for more privacy since hackers discovered the new avenues of information at their fingertips.

" Yvette's scent tipped him off. Did you want me to attack him in open and risk harming the humans attending?" He didn't blame Yvette, and Lucian understood all too clearly that the races' respective scents could not be hidden from each other under certain circumstances. Yet Lucian insisted on Yvette accompanying him.

A long silence followed with the sound of teeth grinding. " I'll be in touch," Lucian ended the brief conversation, leaving Makoto to his inner thoughts for the rest of the evening. He seemed to fail everyone, yet still kept his head. Some might call him lucky, he considered himself cursed.

2015 A.D.

In the heart of Kyoto, a thriving business resting on estate land owned by a powerful family operated providing equipment, housing, and funding for scientific and technological research and development. Beneath the estate, an entirely different reality reigned. The Murakami clan, a population of 985 persons, lived in subterranean structures built and rebuilt after disasters damaged the base.

Kyoto, once known by many names, served as home base for one of two vampire clans ruling in Japan. It also housed the remains of Emperor Murakami-tenno, the 62nd emperor of Japan. Clan Murakami-Genji descended from this emperor, and has always considered Kyoto it's home regardless of the disasters that worked the area over time to time. The leader of the clan, Daimyo Shino constantly encouraged the mixing of the Murakami clan with the citizenry of Kyoto, as to keep the clan members grounded in reality.

Only when the lycans in the area became a threat did he authorize a brief cleansing that once more restored order and security to the city of Kyoto. Like a dark protector, capable of great evil and unexpected kindness and mercy, Shino lorded over his people with firm control. His Regent, a man chosen for his prowess in killing Lycan and managing modern day Samurai, rooted out any who dared to organize and / or support uprisings. Despite the history of the land, Daimyo Shino demanded equality, respect for history and customs, while implementing unique customs specific to clan Murakami-Genji.

It is perhaps Shino's ability to be fair and just that convinced his second child, Calypso, to serve him without reserve. Not blindly, however, did she follow. He allowed her to question him, in private of course, and remind him of his duties if he should be sidetracked. As his shadow and occasionally his conscious, the woman offered more than a fair face and a pretty voice.

On this particular day, she acted neither as his shadow or as a conscious. Instead she assumed the role he long groomed her for – translator. Currently fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, American English, French, and German, the woman could safely say she was an accomplished woman. While she didn't draw or read extensively if it wasn't business related, many considered her respectable enough to not underestimate her.

Of the few people that truly loved to detest her, however, Regent Hiro made it his mission to cause her much grief. Why he did this, no one could say for certain. Calypso bluntly stated it had to do with the fact that Daimyo Shino put her before him too often. Hiro once said if she couldn't stand his scrutiny, she didn't deserve to be a personal servant to such a high ranking individual. Others believed it started when Calypso insulted his honor during her younger years and he refused to forgive the trespass.

The purpose that forced the regent to the common study today, however, did not carry the weight of his scrutiny or the markings of official dealings. Clutched in hands, a decorative silver dagger bearing the weight of something entirely more dangerous would deliver a wound he didn't intend.

Stepping into the common study from the corridor felt like stepping through time. Unlike the armory and physical training area located on another part of the base, the common study boasted portraits of prominent figures in Japanese and Chinese history, sculptures and busts of warriors in full and partial armor, tapestries illustrating lands untouched by modern times, and scrolls on display. Shelves upon shelves of books of every subject imaginable created pockets of reading space for the curious minded. The one thing Hiro appreciated about Calypso is that she adored the history of Japan and studied it, unlike the occupants born within the land.

Hiro observed her fluid signature appear from the dancing tip of a gel pen. A pity her talents could not be more directed to the art of war, she might actually wield a melee weapon effectively. " Do you always frown when you're ready to consult with Our Lord?" He spoke from directly behind her.

" No. I frown whenever you're close by," Tri-folding the letters, she rose to her feet and pushed the desk chair back several inches. Long blond tresses fell down her back in waves Makoto once loved to run his fingers through.

Long time reluctant allies Hiro and Calypso rarely saw eye to eye. For the better part of a century the pair learned to tolerate each other. He placed a silver dagger on the desktop. " I should congratulate you on your most advantageous marriage. My apologies for not giving you your wedding present sooner," True regret colored his words.

Her eyes glanced over the ivory hilt. An impressive dragon stared back at her, it's claws 'clutching' the cross guard. In contrast, the straight single edged blade seemed unimportant. " Riku will be glad to possess it. It holds little meaning for me, as you well know," Fingers danced along the ivory in clear admiration of the weapon.

" Makoto's loss was incredibly unexpected. To lose a death dealer of his expertise-"

" To lose a man of that caliber of character," She added soberly, even as fragile happiness threatened to overtake the even more fragile control she somehow maintained.

Hiro bowed his head. " Riku is honorable. Our Lord would have refused any match unsuitable for his favorite," His eyes pinned on the back of her head now as he casually reordered the pens and pencils in the large clear glass mug so that they were grouped homogenously.

Chewing her lip, Calypso nodded. Turning around, she crossed her arms. Despite the firm control she held over her turbulent emotions of late, the small tides escaped time to time. With Hiro in front of her and to discuss her recent marriage only weakened the restraints on her greater irrational behavior. Words wanted to be said, yet….she couldn't share her concerns with this man. He delighted in her misery. Caused most of her misery when she was just a new blood. No, to confide in him would be dangerous if not outright foolish.

A firm hand rested on her shoulder. He bowed his head once more. " If you can forgive a man for the circumstances he is placed in your care, you can know happiness and prosperity,"

She lifted his chin with two fingers. " You're a good man, Hiro, when you're not doing your best to undermine me. As it is, I understand Riku is not to blame either. Doesn't change that I feel betrayed…" Tapping her fingers against his cheek lightly, she forced a smile. " But grin and bear it, yes? Is it really rape if it's for the good of the clans? Food for thought, Hiro , before you help condemn others to the same fate,"

Before he could put together the unsaid details the blond haired vixen exited the common study to speak with Daimyo Shino. When he did put together the details, he started to understand why she almost took off a young socialite's head for reprimanding her on not taking greater advantage of the union. Could it be that he actually pitied her? Shaking his head, he happened to glimpse a key concealed under the metal quill letter opener in the center of the desk. Lifting up the circular base, he picked up the very peculiar key.

And laughed.

" Who creates a flower shaped head for a key and then color it red and pink?" The rose shaped head proportional to the key length reflected the overhead light, red petals outlined in a soft pink. Placing it discreetly back under the letter opener, he reminded himself to discover what the key belonged to.

He continued to chuckle as he pondered the ridiculousness of the design. It fit Calypso's once bright personality, lately dimmed. This laughter drew attention as people noticed the shaking of his head in good spirit. " Regent," The newest recruit of the death dealers rose to his feet to greet the highest ranking death dealer under Daimyo Shino.

With a wave of his hand, Hiro dismissed the newest recruit. He needed to understand what damage the union of the two clans caused for one of the most loyal servants to a high ranking individual. If he couldn't trust Calypso to serve without question, to do what was right for the clan regardless of the effect to her – if her trigger reaction was to run instead of fight – then he needed to make contingency plans upon the contingency plan already in place.

Dropping his gaze to the report in front of him, Hiro couldn't dismiss the pain in her words. Grin and bear it. Easier said than done, he agreed.

Was it rape if a husband took his husbandly rights on the first night of marriage, even if the wife did not wish to give them up? The correct answer by law was yes. Yet, if Shino ordered it, and Calypso obeyed, could the damage be repaired? Would Riku ever be given the same opportunity to capture Calypso's good graces?

Why did he feel as if everyone involved lost a degree of security?

" Here are the reports on sightings of the lycans, and the scouts reports on human interest in our shell companies. As a side note, Clan Reizei offered support for the newest patrol areas based on the reports from the old world coven," The second newest recruit produced a stack of neatly typed papers. Hiro eyed up the nail polish with distaste.

No reprimand followed. If a council member could wear manicured nails, then why not a death dealer as the nails did not endanger a mission? Running his hand across his brow, he breathed. How could he enforce the law if his elder intentionally ignored it? Somehow he needed to remedy this lapse in responsible behavior.


	3. Act of War

2006 A.D.

Calypso remembered the way he held her in his arms after he freed her from mortal death. She witnessed the kindness in his eyes as he promised her to look after her and give her the opportunities that 1905 would not give her. She trusted in him at that moment so much that she allowed him to carry her across the oceans in a coffin to shield her from sunlight during the day. When she arrived in Japan and finally met the clan Daimyo Shino talked of so highly, Calypso understood her world changed.

Not only did she no longer need food or any liquid besides blood to live. She didn't need a better guardian, for Daimyo Shino kept her close and often gave firm warnings to those who dared to target her. Those days long since passed, she observed Daimyo Shino trusted her more and more – to the point that she doubted he even entertained the idea of her betraying him.

In times like this she wondered to herself if that trust meant she believed in his cause. The lycans never bothered her much, they were people after all. Everyone had a story, and Lucian's story especially left her rooting for Lord Viktor's destruction. Yet, could she stomach the results of such a war? The death and destruction, possibly violating the covenant in its rule to exclude humans from their more deadly affairs.

A half hour after initially entering blood bank, she already felt the rejuvenating effects of fresh blood in her veins. High on rejuvenation, she glanced his direction several times. He made no move to join her on her settee or to join him on his settee. What stopped him?

Daimyo Shino did not partake from her this morning, this fateful morning after the ungodly ultimatum that would kill them all. Instead he studied the bottle and its black and red label as if it never been studied before. " You believe I chose you because you were not tainted. What do you believe the taint is?" He did not look up, sparing her the usual intensity of his gaze.

She held the crystal glass, not desiring to drink from it. " The taint of already being alive and so detached from humanity, because despite your cruelty and dominant behavior, you still practice ancient customs, hold to their sacred nature. Bound by the very mystical fabric that somehow convinces you that you are right," Placing the glass down, bravery surged forward on the heels of truth. " You practice it because you have not become so detached,"

" Broken and without hope, you held onto the only force that could keep you from drowning in your sorrows. You used that anger to celebrate a day important to only you, and in your final moments of defiance, you still looked upon the world as this injured being that could be healed and nurtured back to health. It gave me hope, that humanity could exist independently without our constant oversight," He corrected her, raising that hardened gaze upon her now. " Your memories revealed a hardened and determined person – who was I to not extend an offer for you to do more good?"

Shifting her gaze back down at the blood in the glass, she didn't quite know how to reply to that. So she maintained her silence like a good servant. " But I am not the first do-gooder, nor the last. Why save me, not once, but twice, and then spare me the indignity of serving those too ignorant to care for the reality that is?" She demanded, allowing her frustrations and curiosity to intermingle. " Why take me into your arms, only to now ask me to condemn an entire coven to its permanent death that is has always assumed I'd bring to it?" Her gaze lifted from the glass now, the ripples of the blood distorting the smooth surface as her finger tapped against the side in an agitated manner.

He rose to his feet. " Hard decisions are hard by definition,"

" I would call this one difficult, catastrophic even,"

His hand extended to hers. " And so it will be, but we have been ordered to act, and we shall," He noted her reluctance as he pulled her to her feet. " Such a death will be honored, it will be recorded in history. You know this," He looked into her eyes with such confidence she could not doubt it.

Not even the most heartfelt apology could ease her troubled heart. " It will be hard to separate from Makoto. What you're asking for…"

A slight nod confirmed that he understood. And sympathized.

" What of the Old World Coven? Lord Viktor and Lady Amelia have sworn to keep in contact. None will be chain sleeping for at least the next three decades," She pulled her hand away and slipped into the tunic pocket, fingering the emerald and rose gold bracelet Makoto gifted to her last night. For memory, he said.

Lord Shino picked up the glass and drained it.

Neither cared to admit death alone did not trouble them. As vampires, it remained fact of life. Truth be told, Viktor scared her more, and Marcus – although she respected his intentions – made her wonder if she should resign herself to the sun's final rays. After all, wouldn't it be more merciful than risking torture and eventual death?

Soon, the familiar sounds of guards opening the doors alerted her to Daimyo Shino's prompt exit. She followed, head held high. Soon the tears would fall, tears she wouldn't be able to hold back publicly and privately. Help the soul that dare mock them.

Makoto's last shared glance made Calypso remember the pain she felt at her great grandmother's passing. He'd leave with a team, and while news would soon spread of an ambush that had 'killed' the team, Calypso didn't really start to break down until hours later. After Lord Shino released her to her new quarters, drastically reduced in size and opulence, she smothered her tears with a pillow. Not even the return of her disgruntled room mates, two other women of similar age, could stifle them. Afterwards, between the shared nervous looks and subtle suggestions that she find something to focus on, Calypso left the quarters.

Her foot steps lead her to the familiar Hunters training range, only for her to falter at the entrance. Hiro delicately stepped around her. Clasping her hands, she couldn't hold her anger in. Driving her fist against the wall, she grabbed the nearest thing – a suit of modern combat armor on a dummy – and slammed it to the floor. The crash startled Hiro right out of his intentions to correct a new recruit into the samurai profession.

" What the hell is your malfunction?" He gaped at the sprawled armor and the blood streaked pale face.

"Ninety-five years…gone. And for what? A hack of a contract marriage that is somehow supposed to bond the distant covens together?" The hazel coloring replaced by bright blue stared back at the now edgy Hiro. She cocked her head and crossed her arms. " I bet you feel good about yourself. You suggested it to Lord Marcus, practically crowing of your contribution…" She stepped towards him. " But you had to get rid of Mak to make it happen, that's why he was chosen, wasn't it?"

He held up his hand. " Contain yourself now," The firmness of his voice had yet to include the malicious nature it did.

Her eyes narrowed on him even more. " Contain? I am Daimyo Shino's pawn, not yours! You are nothing more than a regent, someone that wishes he could be the leading elder," The words took their own life as she unleashed the mass of complaints in an unaudited fury. Fresh tears streak down her face, a marring red. " Makoto was twice the man you claim to be-"

A strong backhand forced her back half a step.

Hiro gripped her arm as he forced her into the wall. His face practically pressed against hers. " I did not 'pick' anyone for the ill fated assignment. I will not speak ill of a dead man, and I will not tolerate abuses to my honor. Contain yourself before you lose your precious advantage. Grieve in private,"

A harsh laugh emitted from her lips at the suggestion of a private place.

As soon as he released her arm, she turned on her heel and walked away, but not before giving the poor dummy a strong kick in the exposed side and indenting it considerably.

He sighed as he leaned over to pick up the dummy and its contents. Death did not come easy to those who invested so much into an advantageous holding. She'd have to find some other way to climb the ranks, as in earning it.

" Should I write up a report, Sir?"

" No," He stared down the empty corridor. " This is uncharacteristic. Give her a chance for redemption," He did not fault her for lashing out. At the very least she could do it with more respect to how it'd reflect on her past association with Makoto though. Give the dead their respect, he seethed at the impropriety.

The recruit resumed his reading when Hiro placed a dagger to be polished and placed on the wall in front of him. " This stays between us. The incident never took place, and if I hear it had, it'll be your head mounted on the wall, you understand?" The recruit nodded, obviously not expecting to be reprimanded for an action he didn't commit.

Hiro would need to tighten the leash on the blond before she ruined the machinations of elders and advisers alike.

He knelt at Lord Shino's feet a half hour later relating back to Lord Shino the uncharacteristic break in obedience and generally agreeable public behavior. While it would not be the recruit to mention the wild behavior of Calypso, a rumor nonetheless circulated through the socialites. A crack appeared in the damnable foreigner's hard shell. " If we are not careful, My Lord, she may end the proposed marriage before her suitor arrives,"

" Her suitor will not arrive," Lord Shino stated flatly, considering Hiro with some apprehension. " And she will take a husband, a husband of respectable and proper standing. A husband of my choice, as Elder Kyosuke will help choose. She has been informed of this," He stared at a tapestry with ancient Japanese lettering and the scene of a battle.

Hiro guessed at the direction of his thoughts. " What of the proposed marriage to a member of the Old World Coven? What shall I tell the advance party?"

" That it will take place when the following party arrives," Lord Shino dismissed his second, his regent of choice when he slept for the occasional decade. Hiro departed the personal suite as equally displeased as he entered it. A game beyond his immediate knowledge played out and he started to believe that perhaps Calypso did have a reason to be concerned. All the same at least he had the decency to contain himself.

2015 A.D.

In a diplidated ruins of a castle, Lucian's pack gathered under the partial moon in the courtyard. At the center of the courtyard a no longer serviceable fountain lay in crumbles. Atop the pile of stone rubble sat Lucian, one elbow resting on his knee as he scanned the pack. Among its members with the notably absent Singe, Pierce, and Taylor, Raze alone stood the second eldest lycan of the original pack. The other lackeys and would be lieutenants gathered close by, eager to soak up every word.

Bitterness tainted his words. " The hunt for the one and true alpha continues, and as I look out upon each member of this damned pack, I see potential for so much more among even the weakest of whelps. Should we free our ancient brother, we will know freedom ourselves,"

From the back Makoto watched with great disdain. He shouldn't be here. If he dared to disobey Daimyo Shino, Lucian or Shogun Marcus, his life became forfeit. How then, did he serve honorably? Who did he serve? Who did he call Lord?

A youth with greasy uncombed black hair cut at the base of the neck scoffed.

" Scoff you might, but even the vampires respect the first of your kind," Makoto scolded him, watching as several untransformed began to transform into their wolfen forms. The smell of wet dog aggravated his nostrils and heightened sense of smell.

Putting a scented cloth to his nose and mouth, he inhaled deeply.

Lucian's inspiring speech would have moved him if it didn't put down vampires as if they were the race that deserved eradication. Most days Lucian barely addressed him as a person. The only thing that Lucian did credit him with was being broad minded enough to love what was different.

A harsh laugh tore from his throat. Who knew his love for a woman would raise him in the eyes of men of power?

A young man barely over the legal age remained in human form, perhaps one of the cleanest among the group. He shoved his hands into his pockets and watched with little interest. He chewed on a piece of straw. " Odd, isn't it? How a new alpha will rule over us soon enough? Doesn't he feel threatened in the least?" He nodded to Lucian.

" He has long carried the burden of ensuring the survival of his species. With the prospect of that burden no longer being solely his, I'd say it's a relief,"

Antoni shook his head. " It's foolhardy. He is our alpha," The half white-half black male resembled his mother more than his father. Like his father, he stood a head taller than the other youth. His muscular build placed him as an alpha among the youth.

" Yet he bows to Marcus Corvinus, as you witnessed every time Marcus graces us with his presence," Makoto reminded him quietly. Sometimes youth needed reminded of their place.

Raze's only child frowned.

Lucian thrust the head of a Death Dealer into the air, one of the agents of Lord Viktor. A head that would come back to haunt Makoto years later. "Tonight we celebrate our victories, for tomorrow we begin our final mission!" He grabbed the shotgun and fired off several rounds.

Raze roared in his deep voice, the transformed howled, and before Makoto could blink, everyone parted to partake in a celebration uniquely lycan. Out of thin air, it seemed, alcohol began to be liberally passed along. Someone started playing a guitar, and rag tag group of men and women started to sing ad-lib songs.

For a brief second, Makoto wondered if Lucian truly possessed honor. But damn it to hell, at least the lycans knew how to band together and celebrate the last moments before a great step in history.


	4. Inviting Death

2005 A.D.

Makoto wrapped his arms around Calyspo, spinning her across the room expertly avoiding her feet. Dipping her low, he grinned cat-like. " You're finally a century old. How does it feel to gain in rank?" She put a finger to his lips, resisting a girlish giggle. For 100 years she suffered the constant titled insults of new blood or new born. Some meant well in acknowledging her age, others purposefully inserted it whenever they wanted the upper hand in a conversation that held influence. No longer did they have the right to call her that, nor would any person respectful enough of the hierarchy attempt it.

" Oh about as good to acknowledge that we've spent 95 of those years as a couple," She finally answered his question, her heart doing backflips.

No one could call their relationship frivolous, as the gossipers at first did. Now, they matched the demands of time and history itself adapting only when needed. Each understood the delicate dance they needed to play to keep their relationship alive and healthy. The sacrifices they made to and for each other kept their love alive. Whenever they seemed to drift apart, someone came along to remind them what they had. The first time they almost drifted apart, a lycan nearly took Makoto's life. The second time they drifted apart Calypso ran afoul of Hiro's wrath and received ten lashings. The threat of Calypso being banished inspired Makoto to avail himself upon Daimyo Shino for mercy.

Of course Calypso didn't know how close she came to having no home, being cast out into the cruel world with no funds and no protection. If she had, she might have put herself deeper into Makoto's clutches, something he didn't want to tempt him. Relationships, especially relationships lasting decades, became warped over time. Once honorable people became monsters, and monsters could not recognize how warped they become. Good intentions rarely lead to happiness in such cases, and only in good regulation did good intentions consistently lead to good results.

He finally lifted her to her full short stature. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips before brushing waist length blond hair to the side. Fangs extended and sharpened into skin breaking weapons. A small gasp escaped her lips as his tongue lapped up the blood hungrily. Eyes drifted closed as her long time lover took freely offered sustenance.

A male cleared his throat.

Calypso's eyes opened instantly. Makoto lapped up one last drop of blood and wiped his lips with the back of his hand before wiping the back of his hand on his black slacks. They widened at the sight of none other than their Lord standing before them ever so patiently. The small burning sensation on her neck before skin healed perfectly reminded her of what would come after Daimyo Shino left them alone.

Alone. She smiled devilishly at the thought.

" I am to congratulate you on your turning of age," He said as he extend his hand to her. She stepped aside gracefully and forward, Makoto barely concealing his displeasure. The Daimyo didn't take a consort, a subject of much curiosity even to the most private of people, yet Makoto wondered if he were gone and no competition existed, would he take Calypso into his bed? " Your life partner hasn't informed you yet that it will be celebrated on the same day as we meet our brothers from the old world coven,"

Her head turned back to Makoto, ready to reprimand.

Makoto sighed.

Interest piqued, and guards raised, the much younger vampire assumed her role as personal servant. She waited for Daimyo Shino to tell her more, his intense gaze sweeping over both of them with an interest that warned this visit would not be short or simple. Placing her hand on Makoto's arm, she leaned against Makoto in a lover's mute manner reserved for more prudish circumstances.

His Lordship clasped hands behind his back as he finally revealed what part they'd play in a plan he concocted. She assumed it to be a plan, as he often enacted on short notice. Daimyo Shino often presented a puzzling person to the outsider. An odd mix of control, rashness, kindness, cruelty with only the slightest touch of manipulation. Or perhaps he manipulated many and often, she simply became blind to it.

" Lord Marcus Corvinus will be accompanying Lord Viktor. Lord Viktor brings his pet Death Dealer, Selene. Lord Marcus expressed a desire to speak of historical matters out of his companion's company. You are most enmeshed with historical events, you will be present," He dictated to Calypso. " Makoto, you will amuse Selene and her witch hunt for the Lycan they call Lucian. A small team will go with you to help her hunt,"

Turning around while still allowing Calypso's tender hold on him, he shuffled through the neat stack of papers on top the horse shoe shaped desk. He muttered Lucian's name several times, a habit he never quite quit, until he found the three paged document passed to him from Regent Hiro. " The Alpha, the first true Lycan as William Corvinus is the first true Werewolf," He recounted to the Daimyo.

Hair bound up in the traditional manner, Daimyo Shino did not shun all things traditional even as he adopted modern practices. A part of his treasured reign, however, still centered around vampire-centric traditions he enacted piece by piece – a history for our own clan, he said to her when she asked about it. " It is a one way mission, there will be no return," Regret lingered in his voice.

" No!" Calypso cried, clutching to Makoto. Not even a tsunami could move her from the spot.

Makoto moved his arm to pull her closer. " Because Lucian is a dangerous alpha no one has captured or survived?" He asked, needing to push the conversation forward before Calypso risked another censure.

" Selene survived him, after he failed to carry out a full on assault of the Old World Coven, as did senior members of the Death Dealers, Selene will act as the representative of the Old World Coven until Lucian is apprehended,"

Stunned self-imposed silence lifted as Calypso found hope within Daimyo Shino's unsurprising proclamation. " Then there is hope," She almost smiled as she clung to that small shining light in absolute darkness.

2035 A.D.

Daimyo Kyosuke, ten years younger than Daimyo Shino in mortal physical age, eyed the odd pair bicker over the color of a dress. Riku held up the formal navy blue gown meant to grace Calypso's lithe body during one of the annual balls held to unite the many covens. " You should wear lighter colors. They make you look more angelic, and we need them to view you as less of a threat," She rolled her eyes and tossed a large eraser at him.

He raised his hand and swatted it away.

He thought he saw a hint of a smile before Riku stepped forward quickly and wrapped her up in his arms, trapping her against his body without a recourse of escape. Something whispered between them, causing her to laugh brutishly. " Fine, if you insist on wearing navy blue, but you will wear the ruby red at the clan gathering. It makes you appear very desirable," With most reluctance his arms released her.

Perhaps love started to prosper between the pair finally.

He turned to face Lord Marcus Corvinus. The red haired elder and creator of his creator, Marcus picked up a samurai sword in both hands. One hand supported the sheath, the other hand supported the hilt. " It is amazing the artistry and craftsmanship that these weapons embody can harmonize into a life claiming ability," Unsheathing the sword with a singing of the blade, he placed the scabbard onto the long end table.

On edge, the younger elder wondered what Lord Marcus intended for their clans. Lord Viktor demanded submission and short of inspiring a war allowed the clans independence. Because of the distance between the U.S., Hungary, and Japan, a war could not be waged without more way stations for the covens and clans. In the old days, Japan valued isolation. Vampires, by nature, needed isolation. With the increasing threats of Lycans and the rumored threat that William Corvinus once again ran free, vampires needed to concentrate their efforts on their immortal enemies.

Thus no war would be had.

Not yet.

" Even more amazing is that this sword holds no more sharpness than the tongue of a well placed servant or an ill formed union," He shoved the blade into the scabbard and placed the blade back on the wall rack.

" You must speak of the only marriage conducted in the past five decades,"

" I hear it started out poorly, but now I see Lord Shino chose well. He is no Makoto, but he does her due credit," He approached Kyosuke, wings sprouting from his back revealing his hybrid form indiscreetly. " Do you know why I come here today?"

Eyes rested on his unnatural form, Kyosuke did not know what to make of this unveiling. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head. " What is your will, My Lord?" He responded duty bound.

A cruel smile formed on his lips as he considered Kyosuke, Shino's first child. He placed one hand on the Chinese-japanese man's shoulders. " In two nights time, my brother joins us. He will be welcomed as an elder and is no threat. Upon his arrival, we become the Shogun and yourself and Shino our Daimyo. Shino trusts his personal servant, you will need a full time personal servant soon,"

Kyosuke's ponytailed hair whipped as he looked up quickly, ill disguised disgust marring his features. " The Lycans and Werewolves are not our allies,"

" They are now, as they have been for the past twenty years,"

The horror increased, disabling any possible immediate answer from Kyosuke. Blasphemy. Betrayal. Traitorous. The blood would not allow it.

Marcus dug his fingers into the man's shoulders. " You will bow to your elders, or become a relic of the past, an example," He held the long since redeemed former Ronin's stare.

Minutes dragged by, and as Marcus considered slaying Kyosuke, the once Ronin now Daimyo spoke. " Our clans bow to your will then, My Lord," He didn't for a moment doubt that Marcus would do what he needed to do. William Corvinus might gladly slaughter their entire clan and clans.

Two nights passed as Kyosuke slowly informed his second in commands and advisers of the change in leadership. Daimyo Shino already allowed Regent Hiro to swallow the bitter pill, and Hiro, loyal as ever, started to make the adjustments. Kyosuke discovered, by a side conversation, that Calypso knew about the alliance far longer than Regent Hiro. Riku, ignorant of everything until Kyosuke forced Calypso to tell him, reacted similar to Kyosuke and before Kyosuke could close the door to their quarters, started to berate Calypso for not informing him. The argument increased in passion and volume until Riku abandoned the quarters and Calypso retired early for bed.

On the second night, a tall man nearly identical to Marcus strode toward the walled estate, greeted by none other than Marcus with open arms. Dmaiyo Shino and Kyosuke waited at the entrance for the brothers before entering the estate together, the first official gathering of individuals that could be cause for war.

***Lots of love to the viewers and followers. I sincerely hope to not disappoint or offend. Yes I am woefully ignorant of nuances of foreign culture, so no mistakes are intended insult. I am doing these in flashes of history, connecting the dots in an abstract but connected manner similar to what they did with the Highlander series, and until this story is complete, I will not be changing the format,***


	5. Intervening a Council

2007 A.D.

Calypso watched as Marcus Corvinus put down his glass of clone blood, more enthralled by his particular attention than anything else. She lifted the half empty bottle of life sustenance important to all the species wondering exactly what passed through his mind as she approached. A mindless servant? Lovesick girl? Or perhaps someone just too curious for their own good? Leaning over she started to refill his glass, pushing all that curiosity to the side.

Four fingers rested on her forearm now, forcing her lowered gaze from the clone blood to a particularly determined stare. " Yes, Your Lordship?"

" Not My Lord?" He asked in slight offense.

A blush colored her fair complexion. " Forgive me, but I serve Daimyo Shino. He is my Lord, and you are a Lord that I do not serve…not directly. Therefore I use Your Lordship. Is that disrespectful?" She asked innocently, wishing she could read his thoughts at that moment.

Lord Shino once removed a man's hand for speaking ill of his favored guards. Better than his tongue, he said to Makoto, for I can still make use of his gained 'wisdom'. Would he do something similar?

" Yes, you have served him since the early days of your turning," Marcus remarked with alarming calmness and accuracy. " He takes great pride in your capability,"

Looking back down at his glass, disappointed to find it full, she pulled the bottle away with a little more force than necessary. Capping it quickly, the blond haired female busied herself picking up abandoned books filled with history unfiltered. Just as she picked up the courage to pursue the subject of herself with another elder, she discovered him no longer sitting but gazing out the window with a faraway look.

She hesitated to continue what she thought could be a conversation he wanted first.

He turned, offering his glass to her. " I dislike drinking alone,"

" I don't imbibe except each morning, with Daimyo Shino,"

" I understand he does not take from the bottle but a physical body," Turning his gaze on her once more, Marcus did not offer much incentive.

On her own will she seemed to desire the conversation more than him. Fetching the bottle and glass of her own from the silver tray on the desk, she poured a small amount. " You are correct," She answered. " Many have their own preferred methods of feeding, I'm sure," She turned her attention to him fully now and raised the glass. " To those lost and loved?"

He raised his glass a bit to the hesitant toast.

" Were you close to your brothers, Your Lordship?" She asked as she joined him at the window and gazed out at the moon touched land. " I believe like the blood we sip, the moon is just as important to all – mortal and immortal alike. If only I could go up to my grand nieces and nephews and tell them about their fathers…" She laughed in true mirth and made the mistake of glancing at him.

The cold, detached expression killed any hope for a pleasant subject.

Thankfully Regent Hiro entered and dropped to one knee. " Your Lordship, Lord Shino completed the meeting," His quizzical expression rested on as to why Calypso would be sharing a glass with an elder other than Lord Shino.

Marcus dipped his head to Calypso. " To family regardless of their fortunes," He finished the glass and placed it in her free hand.

Hiro rose to his full height now. He watched Calypso nod her head to the toast putting the untouched glass and its empty companion back on the tray. Marcus departed the library without a side word to Hiro, his leather trench coat flapping up as he walked in a hurry. " What did you say?" Hiro demanded.

" I just tried to make conversation because he tried to make conversation," She answered him breezily as put on her best easy smile. For the second time that day someone put their hand on her forearm to get her attention. Unlike Marcus's respectful gentle touch, Hiro almost caused her to drop the tea tray. " Hiro, I didn't say anything blaspmemous. If anything he touched upon a touchy subject, not I…"

Purposefully striding to the door, Calypso did not want another confrontation with Hiro. Despite being just 102 years of age, the man still made her think twice about cursing his name to his face. Out of respect for Makoto's fragile position after failing Lord Shino, not once but twice, she held her tongue.

Hiro's face loomed within inches now as his eyes bore into hers. " I swear it on your head, if you are the cause of this coven's downfall because you can't control your tongue-"

" Why? Because I'm a foreigner? Because I'm not Asian or oriental? "

" Because you're a stupid, foolish immature girl flouting your undeserved rank," He spit back at her.

Despite expecting the vitriol, it didn't remove the sting from the words. The hatred in his eyes almost inspired a slip of the tongue that could get her into trouble. " It would please you if I just walked out into the sun, wouldn't it? It would make everyone's life easier, I'm sure," With as cool a detachment she could summon from the depth of hatred and disappointment, she stepped to the side and strode from the library head held high.

All she wanted to do was throw the tray at him, bottle and all.

2035 A.D.

William Corvinus's fingers tapped the arm of the chair as he considered all before him. No surprise that all that stood before him were of Marcus's origins. He desired to be among his own kind, yet business needed to be taken care of. Such business lacked a finesse his father possessed that he and Marcus needed to learn and lacked the desire to do while their father still lingered about.

Where was his father now? He snapped his fingers at the two personal servants distributing glasses of clone blood to the two Daimyo and their advisers. The blond haired female reacted faster than the brown haired male. She offered a glass to him, bowing her head and lowering her gaze properly. He said not a word as he dared to taste the liquid, finding the lacking accompaniment of meat to be very unsatisfying.

" Is it possible to have a proper meal?" He asked, abandoning the half finished glass.

" I can arrange one for after the meeting," Calypso agreed readily. She motioned for the other personal servant to comply.

William shook his head, his thick red hair bound in a ponytail at the base of his neck. " I want it now,"

" But the meeting, Sir," Shing protested. " Would you like to be absent of the meeting?"

" I want a proper meal," William insisted, causing Shing to pull back a step. Calypso blinked. " You will fetch a proper meal and you will do it now,"

Calypso sighed. " Shing, prepare a rare steak, two rare steaks actually. Provide a knife and fork, and include a napkin as well," She relented, limiting the embarrassment that might be provoked by bad table manners.

William met his twin's gaze from across the table, the twins exchanging a small smile. Daimyo Shino shuffled papers as Daimyo Kyosuke clicked buttons on a keyboard. A projection on the pull down screen revealed a slideshow of pictures. Lord Viktor, Lady Amelia, Selene, Kahn, and other photos flashed before their eyes in slow progression.

" Lord Viktor-"

A sneer shaped William's lips as he eyed the photo of regally dressed Hungarian warlord, once over mortals and then over immortals. " Him,"

Five advisors of lesser age significantly older than Calypso and Shing casually observed the hatred in the true alpha. Shing handed over binders of information to Marcus and William. Selene's photo appeared on the screen. " Lucian desires her head, will it be granted?" He addressed Kyosuke.

Kyosuke shook his head. " She is…valuable. If she refuses to realize that this alliance is important and holds true to the slaughter of many Lycan, then she is a valuable prisoner. Viktor loves her like his daughter he murdered so long ago," He pressed a key to move to the next photo. " Lady Amelia is less….concrete. She has influence but does not rule with an iron fist. She favors a few though, and if we must, we can use those individuals against her,"

William watched Shing leave the room finally. Such insolence. The servant should have busied himself faster concerning the food request.

" Much like we should guard our own valued assets," Shino added, his eye on Calypso. " The purebloods will be of particular importance, for their blood statuses," He added with emphasis.

A female of rare talent and mathematical genius spoke up. " We managed to determine that out of 127.6 million Japanese population, that roughly 2 percent are capable of being turned. 2.552 million are capable of becoming vampire or lycan, but not a hybrid. That honor is reserved for those of the Corvinus bloodline, distant and modern,"

" What of this Michael Corvin?" William interrupted her, addressed Shino.

Calypso refilled two more glasses, refilling William's glass. His gaze swept over her and her silver studded dark blue tunic and black jeans. His curiosity peaked at the sight of her boots. Did the Japanese cease to observe the no-shoes in the house rule? Was a manor considered a house?

Shino pulled out a two page report on the hybrid that lived with Kyosuke's clan after being relentlessly hunted by Viktor. " He's in good health, aware of his family history, and has served honorably. He has no plans for leadership," He pointed to the photo of the American newly turned.

" In a twist of destiny, Selene has become his consort, or he has become her consort. No one knows who initiated the relationship," Kyosuke added with great pleasure. " Lord Viktor is unaware of the relationship and we have not enlightened him yet,"

Marcus burst out with laughter. William watched his twin shake with uncontrolled laughter. Calypso cleared her throat as she wiped up the blood that lapped over the edge of the glass he held. He placed the glass down and took a deep breath. " I will enjoy the look on his face when he learns of this, What say you, Calypso?"

She glanced up, noticing that all attention turned to her. Her cheeks flushed. " I believe that it is due justice. Murdering a fetus because you dislike what it can become is dishonorable, if not outright amoral. What better punishment than to know that his child disappointed him, and more so will possibly have a child with a hybrid, thus strengthening the hybrid blood already in the fetus? Indeed, the look on his face should be immortalized in photography and placed on his wall at his fortress in Hungary as a reminder to those who choose to bow to you after you defeat Lord Viktor and Lady Amelia,"

Daimyo Shino leaned forward. " I never knew you to be so devious,"

She turned to her daimyo and bowed. " I learned it from you, Daimyo, and I can credit Regent Hiro for reinforcing the training," She smiled briefly before taking the empty bottle and leaving the room.

" You chose well, Shino," Marcus stated in approval before turning to the photo at hand. " We will draw Michael into power with us. He is of the bloodline. It is his right,"

" But he is younger than many immortals-"

" And one of the blood," Marcus reminded the advisor. " As you were, My lady," He said to the female advisor he cut off earlier.

The black haired woman bowed her head demurely before returning to her numbers. " Since we keep our clans under 1,000 members a piece, we have ample opportunity to turn new members and can keep ourselves hidden, Your Lordship," Manicured flower designed nails dragged across a chart of numbers.

Shing re-entered the room with Williams meal, and with proper table manners, William indulged in his food, keeping one ear open for any pertinent information he could use.


	6. The Pompeii Meeting

2035 A.D.

" I said NO!" Calypso shouted at Riku, near tears. " You can not and will not sacrifice yourself just so two brothers can take their vengeance on a Hungarian asshat!" Riku grabbed her by the shoulders. " Damnit, Riku, this not the way I want freedom for yourself or I. We may have been forced to marry but we will not be forced to part so viciously when we just learned how to be friends…"

Pressing his forehead to hers, he brushed back her blond hair he'd grown so fond of. " I know. If we must part, let it be with our support for the clan. At least then neither of our reputations are harmed, and the other is given the chance of advancing above their current rank," He whispered, somehow convinced that she'd understand there could be no other way.

A confrontation between Viktor and the Corvinus twins would result in death, if not destruction. Their wild card, Selene, held no definitive position, and Michael Corvin vowed to have Viktor's life after Viktor tried to end his life prematurely. Blood would color the floors after this meeting, whose it would be the real question.

As if sensing his troubled thoughts, Calypso kissed him. The passion behind the kiss left Riku wanting. Lifting her up, he carried her past the door to their bedroom and dropped with her on the bed. All Calypso thought of as she welcomed her husband's fervent touches is that she'd not give up another lover without knowing his passion and love. There would be time for questions later about where they stood as couple.

The knock on the door went unanswered for quite some time before the frustrated Regent Hiro entered. He stopped in his tracks a very naked Riku hovered over a very naked Calypso, causing her to squirm with laughter. She stopped laughing when she inadvertently looked into Hiro's stunned stare. Grabbing the pillow behind her head she tossed it at him. His hand raised to swat it away, annoyance twisting his usually stoic features.

Riku glanced over his shoulder. " You started this," He reminded Calypso as he reluctantly straddled her. " Now you made me late," Moving off the bed he left her the sheet to cover up with. Calypso waved with a small smile at Hiro before he turned on his heel and departed the quarters.

" Now don't be an ass and come back alive, alright, lover?" She called after Riku as he moved to dress quickly.

He muttered ' yeah, yeah, whatever you say," under his breath as he picked up his highly polished armor, strapping it on as he departed the quarters, armed only with weapons of choice assigned by Daimyo Shino and Kyosuke. The sword, symbolic of much more than their personal strengths, swayed at his hip.

Sitting upright, the blond sighed and turned on her side. This betrayal, this slight, would destroy them all. All the covens, all the clans. Nobody could possibly win.

More painfully, Selene and Michael's flowering relationship might not withstand the strain of the challenge. She rarely spoke with the dark haired female, and the most human of the hybrids did not speak much with others. Perhaps now she could speak with the pair, since they would not immediately be present at the initial meeting.

Throwing on clothes in nearest reach and least clashing of colors, she hopped to the door with one boot on, the other half zipped. The door opened, and much to her shock, Selene and Michael appeared before her ready to confront an enemy difficult to defeat. " Well, I was going to visit you, but since you found yourself here," She sat down and zipped up her boot completely. " Let's talk,"

" Yes, let's talk," Selene agreed very readily.

Calypso put up her hands. " I didn't do anything-"

Michael moved in between the two women facing his lover. " Selene, there's nothing she can do,"

" Bullshit. She knows the way Shino and Kyosuke think," Selene pushed Michael aside, the male giving Calypso a hopeless look. The oiled leather suit fitted to Selene's luscious form caused Calypso to remember what exactly this death dealer could do to her.

Taking a deep breath, Calypso stepped back. " Selene, Kyosuke is your Daimyo, not mine. I am not constantly in Shino's mind, nor do I wish it so. Whatever they did, it probably hurts. Kind of like being married against your will, right? Kind of like your father abandoning you when you need him, but he can't imagine women having rights? Or the mother that cries for you because it feels like she birthed the wrong child? So whatever they did, I had no part in it," Selene remained still, giving Calypso reassurance.

Lips crushed together in angry thought. Selene turned her back to Calypso. " Viktor will kill Michael,"

" Viktor will kill us all, especially once he learns that Daimyo Shino and Kyosuke bow to Marcus and William-" Her gaze rested on Michael, remembering what she heard from the meeting. " And Michael,"

Confusion crossed Michael's face now.

" At the meeting, Marcus said you would rule with him and William. It is your blood right, which would make Selene your consort, since you'd gain in rank above her," She explained to Selene needlessly, feeling the urge to make herself appear more important than she was at the moment. " I didn't tell you. You never heard it, and if you repeat it, I'll never forgive you,"

Michael profusely began to promise he'd never let it sleep, Selene rolling her eyes. The older female stopped him midsentence. " What's the plan then?" Slight emotion colored her voice, almost making her sound human again.

Calypso never allowed that mistake to manifest for a moment in her thoughts. Vampires of any age could ill afford to underestimate, much less misjudge someone of Selene's skill. She rose to her feet, picking up after herself and Riku. They always made a mess whenever they argued or found peace in sexual pleasure, often at the expense of their occasionally orderly room.

" Plan? You act as if I hear everything," She played it off.

Selene never believed her coy act. Michael joined Selene's intimidating behavior, closing in on her even as she moved around the room with temporary purpose.

" Well, the plan…the plan is they're going to inform Viktor he is not going to become the Shogun of these clans, nor is Lady Amelia. That we are independent. That we bow to the true immortals, beyond that, we are without a plan, except self-defense. We _believe _ Viktor is ignorant of the developed situation, but one should never doubt-"

Michael grabbed Selene's hand. " We have this under control," He assured Selene. The calm expression across Selene's face left Calypso with little to go on.

The signs of trouble stirred beneath the calm surface of the beautiful immortal face. Selene let out a Hungarian curse and turned for the door. " Selene, if you act in haste, it will only hurt everyone. Around here, the clan is all important. If you act wrong, it reflects poorly on Michael. Those are the rules everyone plays by, you must know this," Calypso pleaded with her, stepping forward, restrained by Michael.

Selene already left the quarters.

" Corvin, if she-"

" I know," He said with finality.

Freeing herself from the hybrid's arms, she sunk into a chair and put her forehead in her hand. " For your sake, I hope you enjoyed a precious moment with her before this. You never know when it'll end," The pregnant emotion in her voice left no doubt to what she referenced and how after three decades it still haunted her.

Left alone in the quarters, the young vampire let a tear shed. Someone would die today.

Down the stairs, deeper in the island's subterranean ground, the throne room boasted of two shoguns, two daimyo, and a small selection of guard. Riku stood by the entrance, waiting for Lord Viktor to be escorted down the corridor that connected to the surface level. All sections connected to the surface level, just in case of an earthquake or unexpected flooding, but the throne room held the largest series of corridors most heavily fortified, with quarters second most heavily fortified. William paced back and forth with Marcus seated in one of two thrones at the center of the room. Daimyo Shino and Kyosuke knelt in front of Marcus receiving their marching orders.

Regent Hiro resided in the hidden corridor with an additional set of samurai just in case Viktor didn't come with more than a light complement of guard.

Primed for a collision of titans, the spark only remained to be lit.

With almost a bored expression, Marcus dismissed Shino and Kyosuke. William stopped pacing and turned to his brother with a look of pure glee. " It is time," He uttered.

The large door flanked by foo dogs burst open and Viktor entered the throne expecting Shino and Kyosuke ready to give in to his demands. At first seeing Marcus on the throne and smelling the strong scent of werewolf, he expected to see a lycan shackled, unable to transform from its feral state. He took a step back when William stepped right in front of him and grabbed him by the collar. Viktor flew across the throne room and crashed into the far wall.

Concrete chunks trickled down the wall as fine dust sprinkled upon empty air, Viktor on his feet attacking William. Rusty battle finesse couldn't prepare for the fine tuned warlord. William slid back two steps , a hard fist impacting his chest. " Marcus," Viktor said, tossing aside the human werewolf. " You violated your word,"

William started to transform, a snout rapidly growing as clothes tore and white fur sprouted out of pores all along his body.

" He can not be controlled!"

Marcus rose to his feet with untold speed, producing a fine Japanese sword gifted to him by both Daimyo. " You are wrong, and now you will die for your treachery so long ago,"

Only elder strength kept William from pouncing on Viktor. The first foo dog shattered into large chunks as William swung Viktor toward the thick door. Staggered for a second, Viktor rediscovered fear. Raze killed Soren in the underground bunker and almost killed him. William, their true alpha, possessed ten times the strength. Marcus didn't give Viktor the opportunity to recover fully. Sword met sword, the drastically different but equally strong blades clashed. Dancing across the tiled floor, swords sang as they crashed together according to their master's will.

The full turned alpha launched itself at Viktor's back, but not before Selene burst through the secret door and unloaded a full clip of silver bullets into William. " You can not have him!" She snarled, remembering the loss of her family. She wouldn't lose the man who gave her life.

Shino pulled Selene back from the Werewolf's claws. " End him now, Milord!" Shino still held more years on Selene even if Viktor outranked him in age. He easily dragged her back even as she fought with all her strength and expertise.

Dragged from the throne room by Shino, Selene would not see Viktor again. William expelled the silver in his body round by round, roaring with all his might as Viktor gained the upper hand in the confusion of the moment, nearly taking Marcus's head. Enraged William tackled Viktor into a wall and lashed out with claws to the chest and arms, held back by Marcus as Regent Hiro and his complement of samurai and Riku and the other complement of guards rushed to subdue Viktor with chains.

After several minutes passed, seven guards dragged the bound elder from the throne room. Brother turned to brother, each transforming back into their human forms at similar pace. William stood in full nudity. " I want that bitch's head," He demanded of Marcus.

" Then it is yours," Marcus promised him, offering a hand that William took.

" You will not take her head," Michael interrupted their victory. " You may punish her, but you will not take her head or her life,"

William didn't know what to make of Michael, puny in form in comparison. The marked difference in his appearance caused great disdain and distrust. " We will see what becomes of your miserable bitch,"

Hours later, Calypso sat across from Selene. Michael reassured her that she'd live, but Marcus wanted punishment and William wanted blood. Having been lashed before, Calypso never forgot the pains of the metal whips used. It left her weakened for days before they allowed her to feed, and when they did, only Makoto comforted her afterwards. Not even her creator spoke to her. At least Selene had Michael. " I'm am sorry, Selene, but they will kill Viktor. You must accept this,"

The dark haired Englishwoman remained silent.

" I was only allowed to see you because Hiro wanted less of a scene, he believed since we are both women and of similar temper, I could dissuade you from acting out again. Your death would be pointless at this moment, even to the bloodthirsty William," Calypso pressed.

Riku knocked on the bars. " You should hurry. Daimyo Kyosuke is on his way to deliver her to the dungeon for punishment,"

Selene rose to her feet and squared her shoulders. " He is the only father I have left,"

" He killed your family, Marcus has seen this,"

" Marcus is a liar,"

" You've seen our historical texts, you have a hybrid for a lover-"

" I will not lose Viktor," Selene looked Calypso in the eye. " Just as you'd defend your creator against all accusations,"

Calypso grabbed Selene and pushed her into the wall. " Don't you get it? Metal whips, days without feeding, left chained in a cell! And when they let you out, you will be part of nothing, only kept around because of Michael's desire to have you around. William and Marcus will never forget what you did, and Viktor will always want your Michael dead. Think! For a moment and give up Viktor, embrace Michael-"

Riku opened the cell and pried Calypso off of Selene. " She has resigned herself to her fate, we need you to leave now," Closing the cell door, he caressed Calypso's cheek. " Disappear before I have to plead for merciful treatment of you as well…"

The woman didn't need encourage. She slipped into the shadows, moving with the shadows of a memory haunting her. Phantom pains pinged along her back. Selene would regret this day, whether the female showed it or not.


	7. Bonus Chapter 1

2005 A.D.

The quiet noble in question watched as Calypso translated letters into the common language used , English, for the council and Lord Shino's personal reading. He stepped up so expertly that she didn't hear him until he stepped on a crinkled ball of paper. Her eyes shot up, a hand going to her chest as she took a quick breath. " You startled me," She said with the usual goodwill she showed everyone. A certain lack of interest intrigued him even more.

An emptiness of spirit.

A ready smile meant to put her at ease. " Forgive me, I forget that the clans do not convene as often as they should," He offered his hand to her.

Her brow rose.

" My name is Riku, I am told we are to be better acquainted," And then just like that any goodwill escaped their immediate surroundings. Not even the walls could keep the escaping goodwill within. " This is short notice, usually such contracts take more time to hash out-"

Rising to her feet, she put her back to him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at the ground like a ghost. He heard the deep breaths, uncertain how to further push the conversation since she seemed unwilling to formally introduce herself. Licking his lips, he rubbed his chin and then pushed in the chair she pushed out before standing. Just like that, she turned around, lips twisting back and forth in deep, tortured thought.

He held up his hand defensively.

Taking her seat once more, she shuffled the papers so that they were in a neater stack. " You're the replacement. How charming," She remarked dryly before picking up the pen again and continuing her translating.

" Replacement?" He feigned ignorance as he placed his hands on her shoulders and began to massage the muscles along her neck and upper back. As much as she wanted him to stop touching her, the massage actually felt rather…relaxing. " Here I believed I was a visiting junior council member,"

Her brow arched even as she turned at the waist to scrutinize him even further. " Oh great, now everyone's going to think I'm trying to sleep my way up the ranks…again," Dropping the pen, she couldn't concentrate enough on translating. Even if she could, she doubted she had the heart to finish every letter tonight. No, this work required some sleep first. With two room mates that wished for any room mate but her. " Goodnight, Riku,"

Blocking the only exit and entrance, he eyed her up. " We can discuss now or when they force it, I don't like this arrangement any more than you do,"

" That still doesn't change your rank,"

" A pureblood who never had to earn anything in his life," He scoffed.

She sighed. " Oh poor you, never having to struggle,"

Narrowed eyes rested on her.

" I just lost Makoto, you'll have excuse me. I'm not in the mood to humor another man trying to inch his way into my bed," Grabbing the letters, she placed them in a folder, the pen in a black metal cup, and put the folder in the top drawer of the desk before locking it with a key retrieved from her necklace tucked beneath her tunic. As soon as she turned around, he stood directly in front of her, practically forcing her to bend backwards to avoid bodily contact.

People really needed to learn to not invade her personal space lately. Shino, Marcus, Hiro, and now Riku.

All she wanted was to feel Makoto next to her, his kiss across her knuckles, hot breath on her neck as he slept.

Riku's voice cut short the wondering that plagued her as of late. " You think this arrangement pleases me? Of the consorts who throw themselves at my feet, they attach me to you. What if your Makoto isn't dead? And he comes back, and I have to tolerate sharing you with another man?"

" Shouldn't be hard considering you have consorts throwing themselves at your feet often enough," She said snidely.

She said the wrong thing, and in the conservative male, compromise abandoned him. " This marriage will work, even if it kills the both of us. For the betterment of our clans, we will make it work," His hands gripped the desk, preventing her escape from the cage his arms created.

" You forget – I'm foreign. I never belonged to a clan nor will I ever belong to one. Or don't you listen to the way people talk? I'll tell you what, take an hour out of your day for the next five days and just walk around and listen. Observe. The moment Lord Shino abandons his support of me, I'll be expelled from this coven like the sore they see me as,"

" I said we will make it work, and it will work," Riku backed off and motioned her to the door. " Leave. Escape. But as you describe it, there is no where to escape in this nest of snakes. The sun is no one's ally in this matter,"

With her hand on the door, she turned to face him now. " Then let us pray one of us doesn't wake with a dagger in their chest after a night when their hands shouldn't have wandered, yes?" She said pointedly before leaving him alone with the desk, key safe on her person.

Lord Shino and Lord Kyosuke, fifteen years apart in physical mortal age, watched as Riku and Calypso exchanged a very terse dialogue strictly based on their future union. The snide little comments, inserted every couple sentences ensured that it'd either be a disastrous union or a very productive use of two individuals almost uniformly rejected by their clans. Occasionally the pair caught their respectful elders observing and a brief silence fell over them. Riku then escorted the still grieving Calypso to the inner pool where several hedonistic men and women lingered in partial or full nudity.

Riku's hand clutched her arm as he leaned in close. " This could be a very advantageous union. You gain your rise in status, I gain a humbling, and together we act as ambassadors for the Old World and New World Covens,"

The more he spoke of what they could accomplish for the good of others, the less she disliked him. However it didn't erase the fact they'd have to physically seal the union, a betrayal to Makoto, whom everyone believed dead. She knew otherwise, a bittersweet secret she couldn't share. Perhaps the manipulation of Lord Shino hurt more, or perhaps he believed she could 'get over it'.

Sighing for possibly the umpteenth time this evening, she removed her sleeved shirt and slipped out of her heels. At the very least she could embrace the hot water of the Jacuzzi and make the most of her time alone.

Her companion would not let her to endure it alone. He too began to strip. " We could even feed from each other…enjoy the vintage of breathing beings instead of a lifeless bottle," He suggested rather boldly.

Her face flushed. " I enjoyed the taste of a former lover, I don't intend to betray his memory so soon," Slipping into the water wearing just a silver two piece swim suit, she looked up at him. " And while you are a fine specimen of the male species, I like knowing any and all my lovers more before I…let them know me that well,"

Riku seated himself across from her. " Your hair must be beautiful when worn loose around your shoulders,"

" I wear it up because its more professional, and it gives people less hair to pull," Her eyes darted to the group indiscreetly listening to the not so private conversation. " When I wear it down, it is for formal events. I observe some customs of old, I remember my roots, and I refuse to become part of a culture that wants no part of me,"

" Are you always so bitter?" He asked with a slight smile.

She cocked her head. " It is so easy for you to talk so easily while you are here, everyone worshipping you, but should we return to your clan, would you boast so openly? Be so ready as to declare who your allies are? The wrongs you commit by being a pureblood, the wrongs you didn't even truly commit because they themselves granted it and then hated you for it afterwards…Such is the hypocrisy of the long lived. Such jealousy," She shook her finger at him, although the finger waggling was truly meant for the eavesdroppers.

" Let down your hair," He asked.

Shaking her head, Calypso wondered how horrific this would end.

" Please,"

" No,"

He frowned.

" You will not grant a simple request?" He posed, angling himself better so that she could admire his form much like the females across the room.

" When it comes from you, no. I will grant you nothing you have not earned. Not my affections, physical or otherwise. I am no toy. I am not a possession. I am a woman with a heart and a mind for things I desire beyond this role and place. In time you could earn it, perhaps, but Makoto will always hold the place of honor, dead or alive. And if he is alive, you will never truly have my heart. This I swear to you,"

Riku bowed his head. " I have many a consort that would make you seem inconsequential. What is one woman to many devotees?"

If they weren't trading honest barbs, it might seem as if they actually intended to wound each other. Calypso, seeing Riku as nothing more than a pawn in the same game, decided to grant mercy instead of revenge undeserved. A fair warning delivered, a fair warning received.

" It seems our union will continue on. What a shame what happened to the original suitor, I can only imagine how Lord Viktor would have me bow and scrape under a Hungarian iron fist,"

Back in the personal suite, Lord Shino faced his junior elder. " It appears our plans are going well, a would be assassin dead, a translator saved, and a noble to be humbled. The Old World Coven will soon realize the mistake it made in following false progenitors," He said to Kyosuke as he circled the floor before finding a comfortable viewpoint between his desk and a shelf of books.

" And when the lover returns?"

Shino grinned. " Then the true test of loyalty stands, and who is more discreet in their marital affairs will be played out before all," He waved his hand about casually.

" You do not intend to force a union for Makoto then?"

" No more than I would any of Riku's consorts, if we intend to keep their loyalties," Kyosuke reluctantly agreed.

Kyosuke opened his mouth, and then closed it. " And of Marcus Corvinus and his brother, whom we are all to serve when William is found and the war is declared on Viktor and Amelia?" He asked, never once losing sight of his goals. " The lives of two inconsequential people are mere specks, but the lives of our entire clans rest upon the success-"

" Which is why Makoto and the others are working Lucian to find William. Do not forget about Craven. Our Lord has told us of his lies, we must be alert for more lies as well," He picked up a book. " Pray that we chose well the pawns and that this ends in our favor,"

Kyosuke took a deep breath. " You believe in the sincerity of your servant's loyalty?"

" Do you believe in your purebloods? If we take care to shape those around us, the less we have to fear. I have won my war with her without bearing a single drop of blood. She will serve without question, as you have, as I have," He held his hands together. " Funny, that the one that serves me now forgives more than the clan I guard and protect,"

" You do favor her then?"

" Only in her actions,"

" Mindless servitude,"

He just smiled. " It is good to see you again, Kyo. We should plan this union celebration carefully. I don't want to spoil a moment of inspired reflection,"

This caused Kyosuke to laugh. Shino produced a bottle of sake, and together men imbibed the drink over a light discussion of customs and which lines to respect.

*Here's a bonus unofficial chapter I typed up but doesn't fit into the story,*

***Further note, Foo dogs, also known as Fu dogs, or Lion dogs are of Chinese origin. Since Japan evolved from Chinese origins, and Daimyo Kyosuke is a redeemed Chinese-japanese ronin, a foo dog in the throne is appropriate, unless someone more knowledgible thinks otherwise, then I suggest directing me to a source that shows otherwise,***


	8. A Storm Most Turbulent

2035 A.D.

Michael watched the clock pass time. He huffed, and then stood, and sat back down all in less than five minutes. Selene would soon be free to feed, and he wanted to be the one she fed from. Calypso hovered nearby, arms crossed over her chest. " Admit it, I was right. It is a horrific sight to bear, and she's not going to be okay," She tried to stress to him, needing him to understand.

" She's strong," He insisted stubbornly, leveling a most evil glare on her.

" She's not an island, and you are her world. She still chooses you over Viktor, which says a hell of a lot more-"

" I get it!"

" No, you don't," She insisted calmly as Michael's fragile nerves only worked up into a tangled ball of thread. " Selene is going to need you. She'll be ostracized, targeted, and shunned by the clan or both clans. You must understand this. She can't go back to her coven, or go to the New World Coven. You are all she has now," She stepped closer, dropping to her knees in front of him. Resting her hands on his knees, she peered up into his eyes. " When I was at my lowest, Mak wanted to help me. And he did, to a degree. Without him, I might have given myself to the sun. Without him, my moon and stars, I wouldn't be who I am today. You have to be what Mak was to me. No person is an island,"

All the tenderness and trust in Calypso's hazel eyes seeped through Michael's turbulent desires to take the same whip to William, the deliverer of the ten lashings. " What am I to do?"

" Be a leader, be strong. Be what Marcus and William are, and don't be afraid of it," She instructed, just as Daimyo Shino instructed her so long ago. "Own who you are, and when you are challenged, defend it. But don't treat it like a bible, treat it like-treat it like a constitution that you can amend when it is proper," Gesturing with her hands, the power of rhetoric failed Calypso.

The meaning didn't escape Michael.

" When Shino took me under his protection, when he helped me discover myself, I-He hurt me when he shunned me after I impugned Regent Hiro's honor. But he taught me that if there's one thing someone like Selene needs, it isn't a father figure or even an authority figure. It's someone she can follow and trust and love. A surrogate for what she lost so long ago, or perhaps for what she never had,"

The hybrid nodded. Calypso thought him good looking but not dashing. She also saw the sincerity in those eyes and knew he understood her perfectly even if he'd never master the art of leading. Who truly mastered the art, though? This man Selene would follow without question of heart and soul.

That knowledge gave Calypso the hope and assurance she needed to rise to her feet and know her mission accomplished. She exited the waiting room where Selene would be lead to Michael in new clothing to hide the unhealed lashings. Shino fell in step beside Calypso. Neither exchanged words until they entered the common areas. " You once asked what I believed in," He breached a subject they only discussed her first week as a vampire. " I am a Buddhist. A Theravada Buddhist, to be exact,"

Her brow rose in growing confusion even as her curiosity peaked at the change of heart in a man so determined to not discuss his religion of choice.

" You have reconciled with me, but not forgiven me,"

" I don't-"

" When you rashly accused my regent and my regent exacted clan law, I abandoned you. I was wrong," He stated simply, possibly opening up the discussion for her to express long buried hurt. Suspicions hedged her carefree spirit in considerably. " Were it not for Makoto, I would have banished you. I had to uphold the law, it is my role as Daimyo,"

She stopped walking.

He turned to her, motioning her to keep walking.

" What do you mean I'm still here because of Makoto? What did he have to do with anything?" She'd almost forgotten about Makoto and settled for the love of Riku. Almost.

He blinked, it dawned on him.

" What did he sacrifice?" She demanded, hands clasped behind her back, knuckles turning white.

Shino stepped closer. He offered his arm to her. For a moment child and creator understood each other perfectly. She did reconcile with him, but forgiveness remained a gift not given. What little she knew of Theravada Buddhism, forgiveness and reconciliation were not one and same. Stepping forward, she slid her arm around his. The pair once more walked in silence until they reached his personal quarters.

He closed the doors behind him. " He asked for you to remain at his side, any action on your part he would bear the punishment. Refused to part with you, he spared me the pain of having to watch you die an early death. You were then a promising child I could point to one day and boast of my own success," The near ancient Japanese man shared with great pride. " Now I should give him a promotion for such wisdom."

If she could have killed him, she might have. Unable to summon the courage – phantom pings of pain sprang up at the thought of suffering another ten lashings, no her head would be removed for they'd never trust her to do the honorable thing.

She had Riku to live for, she couldn't disappoint him now. Not after they finally became friends. But she couldn't live just for Riku. She needed to live for herself first and foremost.

" Was it wisdom or love that swayed him?" She challenged Shino pointedly.

He flinched at her words.

Years of not knowing and now he just dropped it on her like she was supposed to accept it in stride? Why did she do this to herself?

Shino stepped forward and held out his arms to her. " Forgive me, I could not abandon my role as leader-"

Makoto lied to her. Shino lied to her. Most likely Hiro lied to her. No, Hiro neglected to tell her anything on the matter.

" –and looking back on it now, I realize the error of my ways," Soon his hands touched hers and pulled her close. " I see I have only served to open the wounds," The hope he seemed to hold lost its staying power as she could only stare at him in shock.

Grimacing, she gripped his hand so tight she tried to break his hand. " You did. Can we not put this behind us and not speak of it again?"

Of all the crimes Shino committed in the name of good intentions or whatever excuse came to him conveniently, she could not forgive the trespasses into her love life. Perhaps she might forgive him taking Hiro's word over hers many a times when she was only a new blood. Perhaps she'd forgive him minor trespasses not worth mentioning in detail. Lowering her gaze, she wanted to hate him. And needed to remember all parents were flawed. Why should he not be flawed as well?

" You are stronger!" He interrupted with equal passion. " Am I wrong for wanting the best for you?"

Blood tears wet her eyes. " No, Daimyo, but every situation is not an all or nothing situation. I needed someone to lean on when I lost my way, and you stepped back like I carried the plague. I have withstood much, and you-" Blinking rapidly, Calypso almost forgot she didn't need to live to breathe as deeply as a human would to live. Yet she needed to breathe, to remember she actually still lived and loved beyond her mortal years. " You used me like you use a Regent or a samurai. Not the child you created, not like the father you'd promised you'd be when you delivered me here speaking of bright futures and a sure home," Her voice shook now as she withdrew one hand, desiring isolation most.

He bowed his head in shame.

The American could not see past the many memories clouding her judgment and reasoning. A longing for old lovers and simpler times overtook any clear headed thought. She wanted her heart to break into pieces because nothing else could ease the pain of the loss she didn't need to suffer.

Shino did not entirely let the guilt guide him. " You will serve, as you faithfully have," The insistence did not go unheard.

She briefly looked up and nodded. " Serve yes, but trust- that is earned, and you have lost it, Forgive me, I'm feeling very ill, and I'd make a poor performance for already edgy Shoguns," She dropped into a one handed curtsy since he still held the other hand. She waited a full two minutes before he released it. The awkward tension left so much desired and so little gained.

Riku hadn't heard what transpired, and Regent Hiro witnessed a very mute and pissed Calypso leave the private quarters as he prepared to deliver reports. It'd take hours before Selene recovered physically from the public whipping. Emotionally, she buried the pain and humiliation. Michael held her close, only certain his actions were right when she begged him not to leave her alone in their bed. A servant summoned him for his distant cousins. He refused until the next day.

Calypso imbibed a bad bottle of blood, causing an untimely vomiting of blood onto William's lap not more than seconds after he polished his plate off and handed it to Shing. The backhand that followed knocked her unconscious, sending a new servant scurrying to her side even as Marcus traded a warning glance with his twin. Kyosuke glanced in Shino's direction, the noticeably less concerned Daimyo ignoring the assault with surprising ease.

Just as the world seemed it'd crash down entirely on them all, it righted itself with equally surprising speed. Nursing a new bottle of fresh blood in her private quarters, Calypso curled up into a chair with an empty journal and pen, unable to put to paper tumultuous thoughts. Viktor rested in the dungeons a captive. Selene suffered a public putdown. Betrayed by her creator. Michael promoted to a leader of the clans, and covens once they conquered them. She swore when it rained, it poured. This week turned into a tsunami.

Tsunamis needed to wait.

Houses withstood.

People endured.

Hope could and would be found.

Why then did she cling to the same song and dance hoping for different results? Wasn't that the definition of insanity? Did she want to be insane?

A knock on the door barely stirred her. " Come in," She whispered.

Marcus entered. He noted the lack of serving clothing adorning her body and the listless look in her eyes. She didn't even look up from an empty page. " The stock of spoiled blood has been cleaned out," He announced.

She looked up. " Excellent. Some other poor servant will be spared a backhand," The off handed comment slipped from her lips before she attempted to care. Sighing deeply, she uncurled her legs from beneath her still body. " Forgive me, I'm not feeling well,"

A cool nod warned her to toe the line.

" I have learned Makoto is to rejoin the clan in a month's time," His sharp eyes noted the way she nearly dropped the glass. Such a casual slip of the fingers. " Should I be expecting shadows to flitting about?" He stepped across the room toward her.

Like a deer in the headlights the young woman did not dare an answer without thought. " Shadows don't flit, they dance, Your Lordship. And like many things, they bruise easily enough. I'd prefer if the shadows flitted elsewhere, perhaps in the servants quarters where they talk of being a Daimyo's consort, or a Shogun's," Picking up a red, silk scarf Riku purchased for her before the chaos, she ran her fingers along its sweet surface.

Oh how she loved it when he tied her up in bed with it.

Tossing it to the side, her gut twisted with a betrayal of even worse kind – by her own hand. She betrayed Makoto's memory by allowing Riku into her heart, and she betrayed Riku by leading him on.

What a whore she could be when it became convenient.

Not a whore. A slut.

Not a slut. A desperate being in need of-

In need of what? Why couldn't she pinpoint it?!

The hand on her shoulder and breath on her neck helped focus her thoughts. " If you wish, there are many remedies for bruised pride and broken hearts. Music can heal the soul," He offered advice on deaf ears.

Shaking her head, the blond haired woman steeled herself. " I'm fine, honest, thank you for being concerned, but while I loved Mak, I'm now a married woman. The honor of my husband dictates I do not stray from the marital bed. I'm sure as old fashioned as you are, you could understand," She forced a 'smile'.

Grin. And bear it.

Marcus nodded. " Take a few days to collect yourself, you look drained,"

She laughed. Hack laughed actually. " Forgive me, your description is underwhelming, hardly adequate, but I will rebound, survive. It is what we do, is it not? Bleed, lose ourselves? No, this is just a passing phase. I'll be better in a year or so, when it becomes more normal and less an anomaly. Perhaps the tsunami this week is, it's just a test, Makoto is the last essay to be written and submitted for approval, what say you, My Lord? Should I sleep with Makoto? Should I honor Riku? Or should I abandon them both for a blood high that leaves me with no recollection of where I am, where no one can touch me and I am free of all the strings?"

He placed a kiss on her hand. " Whatever pleases you, as long as it brings no shame on the clans, on the Eastern Coven," Letting her hand drop, Marcus left the pained vampire find her own way through the bog called memory lane.

After he left, Calypso curled up in the chair again and did just that. She emptied the bottle and then three others before passing out in the bed with only a pillow and blanket for comfort.


	9. To Build and To Destroy

2036 A.D.

Selene sat across from Calypso in the sitting room farthest from the most commonly used areas of the base. Dressed in a formal gown of the deepest midnight blue the blond intended to hold her head high, clutch Riku's arm in the most regal manner she could, and smile. Because the world would not see her suffer. The clan might see her break, fall, but they would never forget her unbreakable spirit.

Damn it to hell, why did she have to care?

Wouldn't it be easier to let the men meet at the Rejoining Celebration, where they needed to behave themselves to keep their honor. It'd definitely spare her the agony of accusations, pained stares, and uncomfortable silences. At least someone could distract them from bothering her.

Yes, it sounded like the perfect plan.

Rising to her heeled feet, she felt the steady pressure of Selene's firm hand. " This is the best way, and it is better for the men to meet first here. Saves the clash of egos, the ruination of reputations," She emphasized and retracted her hand. Glancing at the grandfather clock next to a china cabinet displaying fine crystal goblets, plates, and trays, the time revealed both men should have been present by now.

This room specifically designed for Calypso at the start of new life meant more to her than she initially realized. It stood apart from the rest of the base. The meeting room sported non-descript modern décor. The common study felt like history's laboratory with everything segregated in its rightful place. Makoto's previous living quarters spoke of modern Japanese décor whereas Riku favored a more neutral environment that displayed more of Paris, France and London, United Kingdom. Daimyo Shino blended modern with ancient in a uniquely Shino manner. He gifted this room to her, and she made it a shrine of the time she left behind her mortality. Even the settees and the lounge arm chairs she chose for the small room came from the time she left behind.

Here of all places she hoped the men could set aside any differences and come to an agreement so she didn't have to force an agreement.

Chewing her lip, Calypso wondered if they met already and sparred in the corridor. Or joked about her odd behaviors like men did when discussing a shared lover. Just the thought of them laughing about her snoring in her sleep made her skin crawl. She wanted them to hate each other, it made her own sense of betrayal less humiliating. Eyes focused on the closed door, she hoped for Hiro's sake he didn't rear his ugly head into this affair or else.

Suffering the whip again might be worth it just to see him cower beneath her.

" What's on your mind, Caly?"

She blinked.

" Why do you look ready to bloody a perfect dress?" Selene pressed warily.

Calypso laughed, almost shedding tears. " You, who practically lived in your oiled leathers is going to treasure a dress finally?" She snorted, insulting the death dealer in a most friendly fashion.

A slender hand went to the pendant at the death dealer's throat. Selene fingered the large jeweled silver leaf gifted to her by Michael as an early engagement gift. The rope-like chain it hung from rested atop cool skin only the hybrid touched. " Priorities change, especially when I no longer hunt,"

Before Calypso could prod, the door opened. Makoto, dressed in a gray and blue suit, entered with the biggest of smiles. " My lovely, lovely gypsy!" He announced with gusto.

Rising from her seat, she stood there on the brink of her destiny. Unfortunately for Makoto, her self-chosen path didn't include him as the one to walk the path with her. Instead he owned a more precious place in her heart. Without him, she'd be an entirely different person. He gave her what her parents never did – love and affection without strings and judgment.

His arms wrapped around her. " Beautiful as ever," He muttered against her well styled French braids and coiled curls pinned high on the back of her head with jeweled pins.

" You're not too bad looking yourself," She finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity.

Selene cleared her throat. Makoto offered a curt nod. She returned the nod.

Stepping back, Calypso motioned to a black and white striped large arm lounge chair. Makoto raised a hand to decline the offer. The Tadashi Shoji midnight blue dress concealed her usual display of cleavage. Tonight she needed a more conservative touch, as decided by Riku after a particular conversation he overheard between Regent Hiro and Daimyo Kyosuke. Water designed tulle draped over silk didn't quite fit in with the more traditional garb favored by some socialites. The familiar rose gold and emerald studded bracelet almost immediately grabbed his attention.

" You kept it," His voice lowered affected by emotion.

She nodded, sharing the connection. " Riku wanted me to put it up, but it's a lovely bracelet. I see you still wear the silver chain," She nodded to the chain visible alongside his collar.

Rising to her feet, Selene hook her arm through Calypso's. " We should find Riku. Wouldn't want the ladies talking-" Dressed even more conservatively than Calypso the woman let her lover choose her gown. The cape gown dress of gold suited her perfectly. The last thing ladies would be talking of would be her gown. In fact she might even be kept out of conversations entirely.

Suspecting Selene really didn't want to anger Marcus or William, Calypso said nothing. " Where is Riku?" She asked Makoto pointedly.

He spread his arms wide. " How should I know? I don't keep track of your new lover,"

A brow rose.

He bowed low. " My lovely lady, I would gladly escort you," He offered his hand to Selene.

She blushed. " I'm spoken for, and my escort is actually outside, the gentleman you passed on the way," She nodded to Michael, dressed in a black and white dress suit with a bow tie at the neck. " This is Michael,"

Michael nodded to Makoto. " One of three leaders of this coven," He added for extra measure.

In the dining and dancing hall richly decorated with the padded corporate account of the shell corporation above their heads, William pulled Riku off to the side and kept him from meeting Makoto in private, like Calypso wanted. " I need your support among the other purebloods on this measure. The only way to bring Amelia to her knees and capture both covens is to set up waystations. To do that, we need more funding, more support. To stay here in Kyoto, it can't be accomplished, the war must-"

Placing the glass on passing tray, Riku abandoned hope of joining his wife. She wouldn't betray him with an old lover. She couldn't, could she? " I understand your plan of action, but it isn't feasible at this point in time. We are just submitting new patents which should increase our fund pools. We also maintain a strong presence here and the supernatural community has not been discovered yet. If we become more aggressive,"

" If we become more aggressive, we can finally kill the traitor in the dungeon," Sato, a lower ranking house servant added most cheerfully. " A fresh drink, Sir," He offered Riku a fresh glass.

The growing volume of conversation caused Riku to search more irritably for his wife. He spotted her on the second arm of Michael Corvin. Selene entered on Makoto's arm, listening to Makoto describe a particularly gory battle with disreputable lycan and the blood splattered across a newly renovated living room in a normally quiet neighborhood somewhere across Europe. Detaching herself with the grace of many years of practice, Calypso glided across the large room. Riku held out his arm to her, still an ear open to William's plan should it be anything other than ordinary.

Keeping an eye on Makoto, Riku noted she wore the damned gold bracelet again. She was his wife, he wouldn't share her. Somehow he needed to replace that bracelet with one of his own. One markedly different.

She placed a kiss to his cheek and a soft shush in his ear, as if reading his thoughts. " My Lord, you have kept my husband from me. I would have thought you overly occupied with the attentions of Aimi and Minzie, You did order a dress for each of them for this event instead of the threadbare dresses usually assigned to someone of their rank…" Secure in the depth of Riku's arms, the translator and personal servant doubted the alpha werewolf even cared to taunt her. She didn't matter to him. If it didn't have breasts and offered its luscious body for him to devour in bed, he didn't want it.

At first she might have respected him, but as Selene so succinctly put it, he started to remind her of Craven.

He nodded. " They're attached to my brother while I talk of more serious affairs you will not be privy to," The reply barely registered as an insult.

She nodded her head. " If you wish, I'll be catching up with Makoto, Riku. Much must be shared," Before she pulled away, Riku slipped his hand along her side and grabbed her ass most openly. A deep blush colored her cheeks. She just shook her head and swayed her hips, shaking a finger over her shoulder at his obvious move of possession.

If Riku expected William to give a reprieve, William didn't grant it. For the better part of the next hour, the werewolf outlined his entire plan detail by detail until it grew into a complex web that even William mixed up when attempting to remember. Marcus granted Riku the reprieve he needed by returning the two women to William's arms and entering the throng of dancing people to claim a partner for himself. Manners lacked in the once isolated werewolf as Marcus displayed admirable restraint among the ladies waiting on him hand and foot.

"…and Antoni looked Raze in the eyes and called him an asshole for not letting the youth in on the hunt," Makoto cracked a grin. " I offered to show the kid a better place to hunt, but he didn't trust a vampire's word over his own alpha's,"

Calypso hung on to every word like she used to. Gazing up at him in complete adoration, she didn't notice Riku approach, jolted by a hand at her waist. " Riku," She blinked.

He placed a kiss to her cheek. " What did you do to anger Shogun William?" He asked, relieved that the usurper of his wife's attention did not notice her lack of attention.

" I honestly don't know. William is a mystery beyond my comprehension, and he doesn't let many people in," She answered, allowing Riku to claim her attention. " In fact if it weren't for Marcus, I'd say my role as personal servant would be very limited,"

Riku offered her his hand. " Shall we dance before someone else tries to claim my attentions?"

A yearning within his captivating brown eyes kept Calypso from refusing. Sliding her hand into his, she gathered a bunch of cloth in her hand and walked close. Let them talk. " So I decided, the past is the past, the future is the future, and the present is the present. If you can forgive me, I can forgive you," This apology needed to be said, especially after so much tension between them.

Bowing his head, the pureblood Japanese man offered a slight smile.

" This means," She bowed to him before standing opposite of him. He turned her into a whirl and swept her off into the lively little number being played by the band. " I am all yours, no flitting shadows," He chuckled as he turned her back to Makoto, giving the man a hard stare. " No matter what the rumors say, I am entirely yours. If you're willing to make it work,"

Male pride interlocked.

" Ahem," Calypso squeezed Riku's smooth hand.

He glanced down. " I got distracted,"

" Sure," Before she could turn her head to confirm that Makoto watched them, Riku guided her toward Daimyo Shino and Kyosuke admiring a new piece of art discovered at an auction house in Europe. " Whatever you say, lover,"

Eventually people started to vacate the celebration. Daimyo Shino and Kyosuke followed the paintings, discussing their individual 'ruling' socialites. William disappeared with Aimi and Minzie but the two women reappeared tending to their duties as servants and arm candy. Marcus mentioned needing to fetch his sword for the final mass oath the entire coven would take. Hiro reprimanded two women for causing a duel between two men, dragging off one of the men, not to be seen again before the mass oath.

Riku took Calypso into his arms. " If it makes you feel better, I never doubted you'd pick me," The slap to his arm caused his impish grin to grow.

" If it makes you feel any better, neither of us had a choice in the matter. We have Kyosuke and Shino to thank – and curse," She trailed a hand along his button up shirt. " Speaking of cursing, I recall after the oath, Shino wanted me to return home. Make peace with my past…"

His brow rose. " What do-oh. I thought you made your peace," He guided her to a nearby settee and slid his arm around her neck. People had become so accustomed to their open manners it barely registered as distinguishable from the rest of the couples, and odd assortment of old fashioned, prudish, and borderline uncaring of what others think. Nothing, however, crossed the line into undressing each other in public. Eyes, however, betrayed too much for the observant.

Shaking her head, Calypso didn't know how she felt about the idea of returning home. It would wait for later as she took his hand, insisted on dancing more, and accepting that sometimes instead of apples, she could squeeze the lemons to make something worthy.

Off the training area, the war room sported several new bodies.

Marcus moved the chess piece from Hungary to Japan. The captured king now resided in the dungeon. The queen, Lady Amelia, remained in Hungary after Craven's deceit became public. The knights, Lady Amelia's advisers, and the bishops, Viktor's advisers, rested in Hungary and/or in New York, USA. Marcus already began to make plans for waystations using their civilian mortal networks and the 'Lost' to take action in the field. Ever since increased solar protection implemented in the new housing buildings, living away from covens and clans became less a struggle.

This threatened the more traditional of minded. No laws enacted yet on limiting who could be turned, who could be creator, and where people lived.

This plotting session didn't center around that topic though. This plotting session centered defeating the Old and New World coven. Attendees William, Michael, Shino, and Kyosuke along with a small complement of war minded samurai. " We need waystations at least halfway between Hungary and Japan, in the United States, and one other location. To control the New World Coven, we'll need to ensure we have a separate ruling body present to remove the corruption within that'd still support Amelia as an equal ruler," He nodded to Shino. " Have Calypso write to the New World Coven, in transmission I'll submit the peace treaty for consideration,"

" And if it isn't signed?" Shino inquired.

Moving several pawn pieces along the large hand drawn map ages old, the progenitor elder just grinned. Too long he waited to exact his revenge. He already held Viktor prisoner. He didn't need Amelia as a physical prisoner, but he could not leave her in an influential position she wielded with great ability. She'd better serve her purpose elsewhere, wherever elsewhere was. He had time to decide.

Kyosuke moved around the table. " We've already received show of support from some members of the old and new covens. They submit to your will and are in travel to reach here for the oath ceremony before we relocate them to a temporary housing structure under my clan's control," He informed Marcus and William.

The war room, one of Marcus's favorite rooms in the base, consisted mostly of maps, two large tables, a filing cabinet, a desk with a computer and printer, and more maps. With everyone in the room, it only felt at half holding capacity.

" That is not enough. We need to kill Viktor. Let the sun burn him alive,"

All but Marcus reacted negatively to the vicious comment. Michael didn't know much about the world he'd forcibly been ejected into, but this didn't exactly feel…right.

" We don't have the facilities for it," Kyosuke pointed out as the like minded samurai discussed various options.

William stopped pacing. " That can be changed," The finality in his voice assured all present his will would soon become reality.

*** I love my readers, so kisses and hugs to all of you. As for the chapters, I notice I'm losing people after the first two chapters, or perhaps people don't have time (?) to read further? Either way, I promise the more you read in, the better it gets. PLUS, I edit my chapters enough that I my word count for each chapter is around 2400. ***

***This chapter, too, will be edited eventually,***


	10. Demons Afoot

2038 A.D.

Holding up the faded black and white photo of her mother and father in each other's arms holding a baby, her, stared back at Calypso like an ugly wound. Did she forgive her mother and father's memories? Had she forgotten about her father's lack of concern for her great dislike of the young man he deemed 'perfect' to become her husband in 1906? Did her mother ever think for a moment that forcing her to marry a man she didn't want or desire was wrong, morally and ethically? Back then social ethics differed greatly.

Women never mattered much. As Jane Austen so succinctly put it in Pride and Prejudice via the detestable aunt of Mr. Darcy, daughters were of no consequence to their fathers. At least Elizabeth Bennet had been given the choice of whom to marry, regardless of her status as a poor upper class lady.

Sighing, the disillusioned and emotionally spent female no longer cared to fight the past. She couldn't change it. Her father went to his death bed, most likely, believing her an ungrateful child unworthy of his love. Her mother probably lamented upon the loss of grandchildren. Did she even have siblings after she died? No, by then her mother passed the prime age for child birthing. She confirmed by records from consensus and death certificates her mother died in the later years of mortality.

But did she have a sibling she didn't know about?

No, impossible.

Placing the photo back into the protective floral designed frame, shaking hands then placed the picture into a briefcase filled with personal I.D. properly created to bypass security and government scrutiny. No longer was she Calypso Abers. Calypso Matsushita emerged from the room dressed for travel. The long vanilla colored over coat stopped mid-thigh, a belt syching the outer coat flush against her body. The black slacks and three inch leather heeled boots concealed the jeans hugging her legs like a second skin. Long blond hair pinned atop her by pins and a pearl adorned hair clip. Two bracelets rested on her wrist – rose gold and emerald studded and silver, sapphire studded.

Riku greeted her at the entrance to the living base. The elevator waited for her, a single human guard within eyeing her up nervously. She spoke often enough with the humans that they didn't fear her. They feared Shino and Kyosuke, but not her. This unprecedented event didn't escape the notice of the humans loyally guarding the vampires from others intent on wiping them out. They knew something was up.

Hands within hands, Riku placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. " Be safe, settle your ghosts, and return to us better than you left," He whispered in her ear before pulling away.

A slight nod, she stepped aside and onto the elevator. Silence followed her the entire three floors up before the doors opened and she entered a private vault. Approaching the thief proof vault door, she pushed in her security code – 42984657- and turned to the human guard for him to input his. Such security measures saved the clan much trouble. In case the humans turned on them, Shino and Hiro held the ability flush the system of the human codes.

" It's not all its made out to be," She said, turning to the guard. " Immortality. Live forever, but should you lose your way, sacrifice your humanity,"

" It is not my place-"

" I know that. But you have served us for many years now, how many exactly?" She questioned him closely in an effort to fill the uncomfortable silence.

He pulled his hand back, the twelve digit code input. " Ten years,"

A nod followed the answer. " I'll let you in on a little secret. When I was first turned, oh so so long ago, I thought immortality would be glorious. The very cure I needed to save the world, to change it. I was wrong, and it isn't immortality the world needs. It's people who care about it. Immortality is just a tool used, but not necessary. You served faithfully, and we appreciate that, but this gift and curse is no more important than the service you provide. You are just as invaluable as it is," She smiled at him. " I hope you realize that,"

The giant door opened up. Calypso stepped out of it. The guard bowed to her and stepped back for another long day of silence.

Two guards outside the vault door snapped to attention. Dressed in full body armor and possessing the latest advanced rifles and pistols, the men stared straight ahead. Calypso admired their professionalism. Were she in their place she'd want a peek at who she'd be required to guard day in and day out.

As it was, she bet one of them glanced ever so slightly in her direction as she exited the modern lobby tastefully decorated for a neutral business environment meant to lure in wealthy investors of different branches of studies. Outside the bullet proof glass, just through revolving doors sporting the building's simplistic logo on it, a black sleek car waited. The driver held the door open for her, his eyes averted from direct eye contact. Ducking into the car, she leaned back into the seat.

Taking a seat buckle into her hand, she often wondered at the advancements in technology and changes in laws to accommodate the advancements. Some laws didn't catch up fast enough, other laws covered prohibited progress. The internet revealed far more to her than she cared to know at times. The idiot politicians in charge of governments often caused her to wonder how people even became elected to the position – if they didn't earn it by a coup first.

Putting the belt around her waist, she listened to the click as the metal hooks and clasping device combined into a single unit. The driver closed the door and walked around to the front to take his place behind the will. She observed him from the back seat. Odd for someone so knowledgeable to act so casually to a presence like hers. Holding the briefcase on her lap, the suitcase already in the trunk of the car, idle thoughts took over.

Concerns she once told herself irrelevant now loomed like a monster ready to swallow her whole. The promise of pain and misery, real or otherwise, licked its lips in a most hungry manner. Grimacing, she nodded to the driver. Let it be over with so she could move on with her immortal life. The car jolted forward and smoothly continued through traffic. From inside the vehicle she envied the young. So much life in them and yet…perhaps that was the joy of mortality. To live in such a short time span meant they lived each moment like it would be the last. She used to live like that. Even as a mortal, she loved life. Treasured it so much she wanted to change all of it all at once.

A small smile shaped her lips. Perhaps she could face her past afterall.

2046 A.D.

Collapsing on the ground, six guards rushed to Shino's side even as Calypso picked up the fallen semi-automatic rifle, readied the stock against her shoulder, and applied a quick tap to the trigger. The bullet pinged off an armored truck shielding three police officers intent on destroying them.

Selene escorted Kyosuke out the back, already dropping four tactical team members with pistols, her favored choice of weapon. They killed Victor ten years ago, and started the Coven War nine years ago. Then someone stopped cleaning up after their messes. The humans learned of their existence. Selene and Michael's daughter, Eve, just turned ten and was now learning the hard truth of reality.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Pressing against the cement column, Calypso grimaced. Dust from the impact of bullets lingered in the air, a back up helicopter above ready to demolish their holding ground with a barrage of bullets. It held off for now, shining the spotlight on where they intended to go. " Get him out of here!" She ordered the human guards before laying down more cover fire. " Now!"

Three bullets impacted the column at head level.

Shino just nodded.

Doubling down in her efforts, Calypso just hoped he'd find a way to save and lead those that survived.

She let out a yelp as a chunk of debris exploded off the column and cut across her cheek. A thin spray of blood intermingled with the dust in the air, the site of impact, her cheek, displaying a thinly tainted line of red already healed.

" Fuck you! Fuck all of you worthless-" Firing off several bursts grouped three seconds apart, she darted from column to column, glancing ever so often over her shoulder to ensure that Shino left the same way Kyosuke did.

The helicopter fired. The barrage of bullets forced her to the back of the column, leaving her exposed if she tried to escape and dead if they tried to capture her. Only a hope remained she could dash for better cover.

Escape impossible.

The dust settled on her blond hair, turning it a gray. Damnit. She didn't want to die. To hell with it!

Darting across the open lobby floor, she dove for the desk. The constant turning of blades now maneuvering for a better angle warned her before the bullets impacted. Scrambling for cover behind the flimsy desk for cover, she cursed the day the humans discovered the supernatural races.

At least the lycans wouldn't hunt them down and exterminate them. Small comfort, she thought with a smile.

" Come out and we won't kill you!" A mega-speaker announced.

The idea of surrender might have appealed to her if she didn't what came with it.

Banishment and shame didn't even enter her thoughts.

Being a lab rat gave her more pause than anyone's censure.

Spying the steps that'd take her to the offices, she wondered if she'd-

Fuck it. Leaping over the edge of the desk, she barely felt her feet touch the ground before desperation pushed her forward toward the steps. Yelling in garbled Japanese escaped her translating abilities. Soon she heard the multitude of footsteps chasing after her. Let them hunt her. She mattered little in comparison to the history they wanted to destroy. Living history that could share its wisdom. A pity that she could not remain as living history as well.

Bursting through one door, then another, office after office passed her before she spotted her convenient exit. The exit sign beamed in alarming red. Her hand inches from the bar it yanked open, and she nearly collided with the barrel of an assault rifle. " Well, well…you're smarter than you look," She attempted to be coy, yet she did feel certain at this moment.

" Hands up!" He shouted.

Putting both hands up, Calypso took a step back. " If you do this, you are a murderer. I have never taken a human life…if anything mine was taken from by another mortal. A senseless thug-" Backing right into the waiting arm of another officer, it took all of her self-restraint to remain still. She needed to convince them of their folly. " I am telling you that killing me solves nothing. Listen to reason instead of ha-"

The hard knock on the back of her head should have knocked her out. It only enraged her. She slumped forward, only briefly scrambled conscious, before regaining her composure. At that point she stared down death's tool, the barrel and the bullet within that promised to take her life. " Stand down and you won't be killed," It almost sounded like the police officer begged.

In ancient Japanese, she lifted her gaze and spoke. " You walk upon the bones of old in favor of fear and hate, envious for what you can not have. We are not the enemy anymore than you are a superior being. May you forever be at peace with the slaughter you're taking part in," Putting both hands up, she held her wrists together. " Cuff me, Officer, if you think you're right," She said in perfect American English.

It took less than half a minute for metal cuffs to grace her wrists and a black cloth bag to be put over her head. Forced back downstairs by gunpoint and overbearing police, the woman feared for what they might do to her. It didn't occur to her that she might not live through the night. It didn't occur to her to break free of the cuffs or run for her life. It never occurred to her because she sought a purpose entirely different. She wanted peace, not war.

Having spent months in a coffin aboard a ship, a bag over her head that she could still see out of barely bothered the female. Locked into the back of a truck with the bodies of human and vampire alike, Calypso thought she heard the police correctly "Take the bodies to the labs for storage and study….tell the media nothing. No prisoners exist, All records of their existence destroyed, Keep the relics intact-no,"

Rage built up inside. They were just going to take their possessions? Her jewelry, the dagger given to her and Riku, the jewelry granted to her by Riku and Makoto, all of Shino's belongings collected through the centuries…Not to mention everyone else within the clan! Grave robbed and looted!

Straining against the chains holding her down, she nearly snapped the cuff links in half. A needle jammed into her neck started to lull her to sleep. No! She couldn't-wouldn't…allow…it.

Needed….to….break…fre-

Ayaki Noboru considered the prisoner while creating a file on her. Once Yakuza, now mercenary and investigator, he along with others of his talents were utilized to bring in her 'kind'. The American spoke in flawless Japanese. Ancient Japanese. Who taught her? What did she know? Who did she know? As he allowed himself to think, the more his excitement grew.

She stirred on the bed in the room. Against the will of his superiors, he kept her flush with blood. One didn't want a hungry vampire on the loose. The strength exhibited by others made him weary of even the most-demure?- kind. Wearing a black set of scrubs that did not do her lovely form justice, only the barest of necessities resided in the room. Grooming already attended to by female help, she wouldn't need to be released from the room any time soon.

He pressed the button for the intercom. " It's okay. You're safe,"

Her eyes stared right at him. She grabbed the brush and clutched it in her hand. " Like hell…"


	11. Breaking Point

2039 A.D.

From the shadows of an alcove, Regent Hiro mulled over the many troubles on his mind. Daimyo Shino rejected two personal servants. Daimyo Kyosuke wanted to remove Shogun William's head. The samurai death dealers needed distracted. A few even threatened sedition if they were forced to kill their own. The war of the Covens did not deserve the great support it gained.

This war – a bloody business of its own – deserved no recognition. No support.

The elders squabble with the world should not doom all of them as well. Shino sent his favorite child away while trusting his other child, Daimyo Kyosuke, to keep Marcus in line even as Marcus tried to keep William from inspiring a mutiny. Socialites already disgusted with being allied with lycans. Having a Werewolf as their Shogun, and an avid lover for all women he laid his eyes on, even the men started to worry for their relationships.

No. He had to find a solution. What, then, could he do?

Moving from his spot above the common socializing area, he headed for the war room. He moved past all the new recruits into the rapidly growing profession of killing. It disgusted him to see everyone enlisting into the profession just to serve two elders that only cared for revenge. Not even Calypso dared to violate that line. Come to think of it, she toed the line more often than others – he just loved to see her fall more often than the others. With her gone, he returned his attention to the women and the servants, and then the men. In the short time Calypso left, he discovered ten plots by socialites to replace the Daimyo with more favorable pro-vampire, anti-lycan leaders. Two men faced the sword for attempting to steal private documents belonging to Kyosuke and Shino. Almost all the young servants wanted to be him, Shino, Kyosuke and just about any high ranking death dealer. A few even settled for being the samurai guard for Shino and Kyosuke's quarters.

Amazing how he started to appreciate the stability hating one person could bring. In that Calypso established stability, an easy target for everyone to dislike, hate, admire, loathe…Yes, perhaps he could make another Calypso since Shing upset no one.

First, however, he had to ensure the female held an important role. Curried the favor of someone in power. Someone like William or Marcus. A consort for Kyosuke, while possible, would be too well protected. Aimi or Minzie. Which one? He grinned as he plotted for the good of the clan.

Down below Riku read an email from Calypso, chuckling every now and then as she detailed the oddities and shocking liberties taken by the youth. Hiro stopped his plotting to read from above, shaking his head in agreement with the writer's words. Too overcome with amusement Riku never noticed Hiro. From his position he noted several women discussing an adulterous affair while clutching the incriminating pendant.

So that's why Sato couldn't look him in the eye….

Marcus entered with an older socialite on his arm. He lead Satsuki, one of the oldest females, to lounge chair and placed a kiss on her hand. " My Lady,"

Hiro had to admit that Marcus conducted himself with more grace than William. Ever since the elders took over their clans and both Daimyo knelt to them, nothing but bad came to the Murakami and Reizei clans. They lorded the authority like a whip, without the heart of the people at all. Like they were gods.

Like they wanted to be gods….

The heresy of the mere thought!

Shaking his head again, Hiro needed to get another Calypso. He needed the original to inspire the copy as well, but Shino put the original well out of reach under the guise of 'dealing with demons'.

2046 A.D.

" Who taught you?"

" Who taught me what?" Calypso demanded greatly impatient at being kept in a well lit room. The light hurt her eyes. The bed didn't compare to the soft bed she and Riku once shared. Ayaki at least allowed her a blanket that reminded her of home. Funny how she never considered the clan a home. Now she'd trade the world to be among the snakes again. Oh the evil workings of life.

Ayaki stood in front of her, wearing body armor beneath his clothing just in case she put hands on him. He trusted her manners extended far enough he didn't need to bring a weapon with him. " How to speak ancient Japanese," He clarified impatiently. " Who taught of the history of this land. How to speak Chinese and Korean and how to read it,"

Her brow arched with the slight character Shino adored. " Why do you care? You're just going to poke and prod, take my flesh and blood, and then lock me away or sentence me to death by sun. That's what you've done with the others you've captured. It's what you'll do to me." She didn't flinch as he stepped closer. " I'm history, a part of history, and you – you'll just write me out of like I'm a disease. Better your ignorance than giving up the one truth – it's the only thing you can't take from me," The words spat like insult spoken from frustration.

Shino encouraged her. Kyosuke thought her passion adorable. Hell, even Marcus told her she held more potential than half the socialites. Hiro gave her hell, but he tolerated her. He didn't hedge her into a corner completely. Stuck in this room with nowhere to go, no one but this fool to talk to. Letting out a yell of frustration, she threw down her hands and glared at him.

The only sign of fear existed in his eyes. " I don't kill-"

" If you don't kill me, someone else will, You can compartmentalize it all you want," She threw her hands up and tilted her head. " Don't you see? I wouldn't kill you, and I wasn't going to kill anyone else. I'm not that kind of person, but if you push me into a corner, what do you expect?" She stepped forward, cracking her knuckles. " I'm not helpless, and I refuse to die a prisoner of someone else's will,"

He watched her like a predator considering his best move to best preserve the best of meat. " You won't die." He insisted.

" If I help you," She translated, considering killing him where he stood. How easy would it be? The covenant forbade her from drinking from a human, but in these times, what was but a crusty old agreement hardly worthy of recognition? Nails sharpened into claws.

Not missing a beat, Ayaki raised his hand in self defense. " Stand down,"

" No, make me," Living over a century taught Calypso how to survive. More importantly surviving Hiro taught her how to survive. With all unnatural strength, she lashed out and grabbed hold of his arm, regardless of the damage he'd do in the process. Ayaki used the brief inexperience to his advantage and slammed into her. She blinked before the other hand went to his throat and clutched it. Savoring the change in circumstances, she forced him back step by step as he repeatedly tried to bring his free hand down on her shoulders and neck. " I'm going to give you a chance to let me out of this place now-

For the second time, someone used a tranquilzer dart to put her to sleep. Ayaki watched with little pity as she faltered in using him as a battering ram for the glass. Tearing her hand from his throat and then his twisted arm, he breathed freely. He caught her before she hit the floor. When he looked up to see who saved him, the surprise hit him. " You can't be in here, doctor,"

The man in the lab coat just stared down at him in cool condescendence. " You almost became a meal, you should be grateful I intervened,"

The temporarily helpless woman lay limply in his arms. What little they knew of her, he guessed the act of violence displayed probably came from being put down so easily. People must have knelt at her feet for how beautiful she was. To be rejected,

Sweeping back her hair, he gazed upon her face. " You can not have your samples," He addressed the doctor. " There's still more she can tell us,"

" She already told you what she intends to do, she will not break,"

" She did not attempt to kill anyone-"

" They all killed someone in their need to survive this long,"

He noticed the doctor came prepared with a vial, needle, scalpel, and a sterilized specimen container. " If you take the samples now, she will remain hostile. We can not afford it! She knows ancient Japanese-"

" They all did," The doctor knelt next to him and inserted the vial into the syringe and took his blood sample first. He didn't even look Ayaki in the eye.

Ayaki grabbed his arm as he readied the scalpel to take tissue from the arm. " This one spoke it better. This one spoke Mandarin and Korean, a translator confirmed it. If you take that flesh sample, you will seal the fate of more humans-" The doctor removed his hand and cut into the undead flesh. Ayaki looked away from such barbarism. Afterwards, he covered the missing chunk almost fully healed with the neck scarf meant to prevent chafing from the body armor.

With more honor than the doctor, he carried the woman to the bed and left the room. Once in the observation room, he dimmed the lights and parted. He needed to find out more. They weren't all monsters, not even the others he helped apprehend. If they crossed a line in their hunt to exterminate all that was different, it could start a war that would guarantee the death of innocents.

Why else hadn't the vampires and werewolves taken action before now if not to preserve their own races? To stay hidden. The balance no longer existed. That meant war. That mean death.

Chaos.

The next time Calypso woke she found herself facing a firing squad. Her eyes rested on Ayaki. He held a sword in his lap. " They tell me your name is Calypso. They also tell me you have been around longer than just a few decades. How old are you? Who do you serve?" He rose to his feet, brandishing the blade casually.

Thick nylon straps held her to the chair with manacles around her ankles. It appeared someone roughed her up, cut her hair to her shoulders, and planted a metallic interface into her hand. She could feel the nanobots in her blood, preventing the healing process. They made her heal at a human rate. Interesting. How to flush it from her blood….

" You can answer me, or we start death by a thousand cuts and there will be no blood replenishing," He threatened, " And then I'll have your head and put it on a pike for the rest of the prisoners to identify,"

She laughed. She laughed until her chest hurt and one of the men thought her mad. " You believe I care if my head is on a pike for identification? You believe knowing my name and occupation matters? Death by a thousand cuts? Is that the best you can do? Don't have the guts to make me suffer more?" Leaning back into the stiff backed chair, she hardly noticed it's uncomfortable design. " I've faced worse than you, and I've had worse done to me, mark my words, you'll hardly be remembered,"

" I will be the last person you see, the last words you'll ever say will never leave this room-" He pressed the tip of the sword into her shoulder. The tingling already set her tired body on edge. " Is that the legacy you want?"

" Ah yes, the whole scratch my back I scratch your back-" He pushed the blade in deeper.

" Tell me, Ayaki, how does it feel to be a murderer? To kill, to torture innocent people-" She cried out as he pushed the blade entirely through. Through electric blue eyes, she stared up at him with a profound look of betrayal and her fangs extended. " Does it feel good taking pleasure from the pain?"

Leaving the blade in her shoulder, he turned his back to her.

" You asked who I learned ancient Japanese from. I learned it from a REAL man. A man who knew what being a man meant," She vented. Chest heaving, she glanced down and watched as the blood stained the black scrubs. Perhaps she should have allowed herself to suffer torture at the hands of Hiro. It might have trained her for a situation like this.

Perhaps it wouldn't, she reflected as the ebbing pain bothered her less. " If you're going to kill me, then you will know who I am, Ayaki." She reached past the betrayal, removing the boundaries she thought no one would pass to keep her from being further surprised. " You will face me and you will see the person you are going to kill. My name is Calypso. I was…I was many things to many people, but more importantly, I am the failure that a creator loved. That father and mother lost hope in. I am… a woman who loved and lost. I am a person, Ayaki. Just like you," She looked down at her lap, flexing her fingers.

Not here, not now. No tears. Just reality.

" I am what I am. Just because I use blood to live does not change who I am fundamentally," She went on, lifting her gaze to his. " I am peace. I am hope. I am faith. I am proof of everything that two sides can be reconciled, but turning me into your enemy doesn't help you. It helps no one, not you, not them-" She jerked her head in the direction of the men with weapons leveled on her. " What happens when you hunt someone down? The evil queens are the princesses never saved,"

Ayaki understood the frustration. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. " You could work for us, put your talents to use, you know the area. You can work the people," He grabbed hold of the sword hilt. " You can save lives,"

Her brow rose. " Oh, that's what you call this?" She nodded to the sword and then the weapons pointed at her. " You call this saving lives? Silly me, I thought it was something akin to torture and pending death,"

Twisting the blade he knelt to be at eye level. " I call it doing what I must do to survive,"

Looking into his eyes, she felt sorry for him. " Then for your sake, you better kill me, because I have a limit to how much bullshit I take before dealing it back," The threat inspired the weapons raised and ready to fire. Ayaki twisted it some more.

" Then I'll be sure to leave you in a ditch for the sun to burn," He promised with equal vitriol.


	12. From the Debris

2046 A.D.

Hiro knelt next to the human, a fresh kill by a fledgling vampire. He shook his head. This was the doing of Marcus and William. Such fools the Daimyo were. He pressed in between two dumpsters as several men passed carrying a body before callously dumping it in a dumpster. " And they said the demure ones are incapable of being monsters," One said to the other. " This one nearly took Noboru's head,"

Waiting them out as they walked back to the building, Hiro knew he was in enemy territory. The last thing he expected to see was Calypso wrapped up in a constricting plastic sheet, zip ties keeping her wrists and ankles. In a groggy state she couldn't do much more than moan and loll her head. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his knife and cut the plastic off as quickly as he dared. The zip ties cut more easily and then he hoisted her over his shoulder until he could carry her bride style.

Dead weight weighed him down. Truly he wondered who'd she snap on. It never occurred to him that perhaps he deserved some of a tongue lashing himself. Apparently the humans got to her first, which meant Daimyo Shino either lived or lay in human hands.

He met up with Tanis halfway. With Viktor gone, Selene on their side, the historian came out of hiding. He escaped to meet up with the clans, only for several years later for their peaceful existence to come a bloody end as a new extermination effort started. Tanis gave the drugged personal servant a second glance. " What happened to her?" He asked while adjusting his overcoat.

" Have you seen either Daimyo?" Hiro demanded.

Tanis's brow furrowed. " I thought they'd be dead after the attack on the living base,"

Pointing to Calypso, Hiro held her even tighter. If anyone understood Shino better than him, it would be her. She witnessed more of Shino's personal side than Hiro ever would. He needed to protect that memory, regardless of Shino's possible death. " Did the humans take prisoners?" He ducked behind a corner as more police passed by.

" Was she taken prisoner?"

" It would seem so," He placed her on the ground temporarily, kneeling next to her. Inconveniently at the next moment an officer passed by them. He came to a full stop. " The curfew is in effect, what are you doing out at this hour?" His eyes passed over the ethnically diverse group.

Tanis stepped in. " Someone drugged her, we helped her get out of there before they could take advantage," He let the implications soak in. The lie came easy to the vampire, not the first one he told.

Hiro traced his hand around Calypso's cheek in the most tender fashion. Surprisingly it came easier to him than he believed possible. In her drugged up state, she offered no resistance. " My wife was almost taken advantage of. I need to get her home, where she'll be safe," He added to Tanis's lie, a hint of emotion thick in his throat. Did she sacrifice herself for their Lord? Was she the only person to survive the humans?

The officer debated hauling them into the police station and letting them go. Tanis stepped forward. " Please, Officer. He's a doctor. He can help her better than any officer can, and when she comes out of it in a familiar place, she won't react negatively. It is for her better health," He may be a weasel, but he knew what was best for them all.

Taking advantage of the indecisiveness, Hiro lifted Calypso once more into his arms and carried her toward a tower apartment in the distance. The officer didn't press and Tanis hurried after Hiro, needing to make himself scarce. " How will she react when she comes out of it?" He asked admiring the limited view the black scrubs offered. On closer inspection, blood stains barely indistinguishable now became obvious. He made to pull back the neckline of the top when Hiro's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. " It's not as if-"

" She's married, and she's not one to let the likes of you prod," He did not know where Riku lived, if the man even still lived. Furthermore, if this 'demure vampire' nearly took off someone's head, he doubted she'd be in the mood for Tanis's prodding. She might even tempt his head too.

Withering under the hard gaze, Tanis shrunk away.

Under the night's streetlights, they walked quickly. The guard at the apartment tower gave Calypso a questioning look. Hiro put in his entrance code and kept walking in silence to the elevator. Not much changed since the days they lived in peace except a change of décor and more guards as conspiracies rose among the common populace. A few even nailed the truth in one – vampires and werewolves existed. Of course, such incredible claims dismissed under even the lightest of scrutiny.

No elevator music followed them up to the top floor. Hiro stepped off the elevator and approached the door guarded by another mortal guard. One of the loyal guardians, this man recognized Calypso. He opened the door for the three undead. Entering the luxurious apartment, Hiro carried her to the spare bedroom and placed her on the bed. Wiping away sweat that smelled of the drugs, he leaned in close. " I know you're in there, listening. I know you know what is happening. You are safe," Whether they were enemies or not, she was still a clan member and he owed a responsibility to her.

Heavy eyelids blinked open and shut.

Stepping out of the room, he closed the door and found Tanis perusing the few paintings Hiro saved from the looting mortals. " Don't become too attached. It's only a matter of time before they find this place too," The fatalistic thinking deserved its place in his forethoughts.

Tanis smirked. " I know a place that can be of use, a monastery,"

" Where you escaped? I doubt it could house so many," Hiro shook his head. " I am tired of your attempts to flee this war. This is not local to Japan. This is spreading between the governments. We are no longer legends or ghosts," Even Calypso understood that, and she'd been a ghost her entire life.

Hours passed as Hiro returned to the one place in the apartment he rarely vacated. The computer and the internet provided mountains of information and no open doors for him to take advantage of. Tanis lingered in his library, reading what he could and using the laptop to translate what he could not. Calypso emerged from the bedroom rubbing her eyes. " Next time you rescue me you could try to provide me a change of clothes," She admonished Hiro. " Thanks for saving me from the sun,"

" Odd that they'd throw you in a public garbage container," He remarked.

She nodded, dropping to one knee next to him to see what he worked on. " They ran out of room in the other dumpster. Figured with the police hunting us down and all I'd be dead soon enough…"

" But a public garbage container unguarded?" He insisted incredulously. " Someone wanted you to live,"

" I'd be dead if you hadn't arrived, Hiro. No one wanting me to live would have left me the way they did, and if it weren't for you-"

He looked away from the glaring computer screen. " You're a clan member,"

" Yes, I suppose I am," She accepted this answer as the only reason he saved her. Desperately hoping for a different answer, the woman rose to her full height once more. " I'm going to shower and then raid the closet for clothes I can wear." Resting her hand on his shoulder, she stood behind him on the verge of admitting her own weakness. " Thanks for being a pain in the ass,"

A short laugh and a smile later, he watched her receding form disappear into the bathroom. Tanis wandered that way, spotting Hiro casually ensuring the door remained shut. " Any answers?" He questioned the Japanese male like a nervous ferret, able to slink in and out at will.

In the shower, Calypso shivered despite the scalding hot water cascading against her porcelain skin. She couldn't dismiss Ayaki's face, forget the way he seemed to become more vicious in his line of questioning, accusing her of things she never committed. She pleaded with him to see reason, tried to explain the gravity of his actions, and when that failed, lashed out at him with a viciousness borne of decades of frustration of her inability to take personal revenge. Fear in his eyes sparked something primal within her. She possessed the ability to take a life without her conscience yelling at her.

Unfortunately for her, it came with a price – immense pain.

Snuggled in a large robe meant for a man, she found herself wishing she had Riku to make fun of her. Makoto telling her she missed a step and pointing it out in an arguably annoying superior manner. Hell, even a stern talking to from Hiro might've helped. Instead she selected an oversized white chunky knit sweater and a belt. She'd be wearing something similar to a mini dress but that mattered little.

At least she lived.

" When you last saw Daimyo Shino,"

" He lives, and so does Kyosuke, but I don't know if they still live. Selene is most likely their guardian now," She turned to face him. " They looted everything, Hiro. The portraits, the statues, the books, the scrolls….everything. They seized the jewelry Makoto and Riku gave me. My family photo. Grave robbers. The lot of them,"

He nodded. " It hit the papers yesterday, a new cache of historical artifacts to be donated to the museums across Japan and other areas of the world. I had to…keep from going out and claiming lives," The anger at the violation shared between the supernaturals lingered moments longer before being shoved aside by greater concerns. " We have to recover the possessions another time. There are a few waystations the humans don't know about,"

" They raided the living base,"

" I long suspected Marcus and William would lead us to a disastrous end. It's why I colluded with other concerned individuals to build a waystation closer to where you hailed from," He shared. " We filtered people to that location, two or three at a time from the different waystations."

She sat down on the bed, resting her hands on her lap. He didn't blindly follow. How incredible. Of all the people who conspired, she least suspected him. " You said waystations…not waystation," Of all the people, him! The shock of it lingered.

He nodded. " United Kingdom, Canada, and an island capable of sustaining life with a supporting lifeline," The elaboration grabbed Tanis's attention. HIro disliked the European. Not an ounce of genuine character to him.

Calypso rose to her feet. " How many can these waystations support? What about finances?" Hiro cleared his throat and glanced toward Tanis. She pulled the chunky knit down to her knees. " On second thought, I should order new clothing-"

Tanis blocked her exit. " What of the finances? With the corporations revenue seized, there is no inflowing funds," He pointed out to both of them. " And Viktor is dead. Marcus and William have retreated into hiding while employing guerilla tactics. Your elders are gods know where with Viktor's precious pet death dealer," He delighted in the pained expression that swiftly crossed Calypso's face and the annoyance briefly conveyed on the death dealer's visage.

Both clan members faced Tanis. Hiro placed a hand on Calypso's arm. She stepped back. Tanis squared off with Hiro. " Our finances are well under control. The only assistance we need is for you record history, as you did before with your coven. We'll make it easier for you, just record the truth," He held out his hand to Calypso. " Go order your clothing, and I'll schedule the flight to the U.S,"

Calypso nodded and moved past both of them. She needed to remember to be more careful from this point on out.

2010 A.D.

Kyosuke claimed Calypso's arm as he seated himself next to her at the night restaurant. " You really should find yourself a consort," She insisted with a smile. " It would save me a great deal of trouble as posing as your significant other,"

Shino chuckled at the obvious embarrassment not so obvious to Calypso. He ordered several drinks for them from the waitress. The special wine flavored blood stayed a secret among the elders. " Remember your manners, Calypso," He scolded lightly.

Placing her hand higher on Kyosuke's arm, she nodded briefly. " Oh by my heart doth beat so quickly, how do I remember my manners? The elusive Kyosuke does pay me great compliment," She announced in such playful mockery that even the former Ronin could not resist joining in the jest.

He placed a chaste kiss to her knuckles. " I will take a consort when I am ready," He assured her warmly, finding her mixture of time developed dialects a Calypso-type behavior. " What do you think our future will be, Calypso? Do you think it will be as fruitful and pleasing as it is now? Will personal traditions like this endure?" His thumb stroked her knuckle attentively, his gaze so focused on her.

Welcoming the glasses placed before them, she suffered under the waitresses envious glance before the woman dismissed herself from the company of elders. Calypso traced her finger along the rim of the glass. Shino leaned back into the leather bound both, the dim lighting of the back of the restaurant designed specifically for customers like them. People probably thought her an escort, nothing could be further from the truth.

She angled herself equally between the two men. " I believe the future will play out as it does. We are caught in the sands helpless against its pull. It is not Nirvana I seek," She nodded to Shino. " Nor is it being thought important and special, as the Abrahamic religions like to believe. I like to believe in a variety of beliefs. Guardian angels and reincarnation. Fatalism is my belief structure, hence making it obvious that the future is already planned," She waved her hand about noncommittedly.

" Your prediction for the future is positive then," Kyosuke pressed.

She shrugged. " It is and it isn't. Our technologies advance, it becomes harder to hide who we are. No doubt someone will use our kind as lab rats if we're ever captured and discovered. The cleaners clean up after us now, but the reality is inevitable. When is too much _too much_ ? We are peaceful as clans, but the covens are not so innocent. Viktor's clan bought slaves for orgies and then bled them dry. No doubt the New World clan did the same. Such activities easier to hide with such a world in chaos may not be so easy to hide when technology is more alert,"

Understanding the caution and seeing his training so effortlessly exercised by the woman, Shino enjoyed his drink.

Kyosuke nodded. " So you believe then we will not be in a position to manipulate anything," He leaned in.

" Possibly, or we will be the government and them our cattle, but it will not be us who lead the enslavement of humans for a food source," She lowered her voice, the topic far more personal and far less suitable for any common ears. " I like to believe we'd be victims than dictators. At least as victims we keep our saintly position and become martyrs. As victors, we…lose our right to speak as supporters of justice. Either way we will always be the enemy, then, now, and in the future. I have accepted that, more now than ever,"

The din of conversation washed over them, a comforting reminder they hadn't reached that point yet. Nor did they desire to reach it anytime soon.

*** Immortality is such a boon. *Cackles like a mad witch*


	13. Bonus Chapter 2

Clothes littered the floor of the Shogun William's quarters. Shino sent Calypso to fetch the newest batch of documents with the official signature needed for further official action taken on part of the Murakami and Reizei clan. She started to pick up the bras and panties long discarded. A fully sated William held two women in his arms amidst a pile of pillows atop a specially designed and built bed.

She called it the sunken pit bed, and despite her disgust for the orgies held within it almost nightly, she wanted one of her own. She didn't rank that high, though, and Daimyo Shino didn't forget their last meaningful conversation. No favors would be shown to her in this year or the next.

" My Lord," She addressed William specifically. Marcus didn't insist on that particular greeting, but William drunk on power, demanded it. Going over to the book shelf tucked away in the corner like a forgotten piece of furniture, she pulled out one of the many baskets placed on it in an orderly manner. Retrieving the papers, she departed with a slight nod once more in his direction.

Her feet lead her to the quarters she knew so well. Placing the documents on Daimyo Shino's desk, she went about her usual morning chores. Helping him into his robe after his bath, Calypso wanted to apologize. How could she? Broken promises, years upon years of being left out. Did someone not owe her an apology first? They made her into the bitter person she became.

They created her. Were they not proud of this result?

Swallowing hard, she looked down at the dragon that stared back at her. Better it be closer to Shino than her. She didn't even think anyone wanted her company any more.

" I'm sorry," She blurted out before she could stop. " I let old wounds once healed rear their ugly face. I – I don't know if I'm ready to fully accept reality."

Truth be told she almost wished Viktor killed William. Perhaps they'd kill each other at the same time and spare her the trouble of dealing with ego maniacs. Maybe then She didn't need to worry about Makoto and Riku interacting with him. Bad enough she feared losing them both in the upcoming war. She could withstand one loss, but another of that magnitude, and the threat of being remarried for convenience? No. It would not be.

" Reality does not wait on you, you depend on it," Shino announced in his usual sage-like manner.

She nodded. " When did you want me to return home?,"

Creator turned to embrace child, neither fought it as they simply felt what could not be said in words. Good intentions and bad roads. So much pain, so much hurt, proof they lived and fought well. Proof they held on to what they loved. His fingers stroked her hair, as her arms wrapped around his shoulders and held onto him for strength. 126 years did not pass without some bond being formed. It suffered but it still existed beneath their stubborn wills.

Family.

They had each other.


	14. Instant Promotion

2047 A.D.

" Hiro, you got it all wrong. It is the Fujiwara family that Shino admired most." Calypso argued in half spirit. " He used to talk of how the chancellor managed to be ensnared with the royal family for at least eight individuals. Four of them son-in-laws, four of them grandsons," She pointed at Hiro with a half smile, noting the baleful way Tanis stared at a journal he recently started recording.

The Japanese male chuckled as he considered the merits of the position. " Perhaps, and perhaps it is the women he feared more for no one's wrath is worse than a woman scorned. You've proved that, even to me," He turned his eye on to Tanis. " Was it not Sonja's death that inspired Lucian? A woman pushed him into action, and a child with that woman would've prevented the war that devastated vampires before,"

If the European male considered the conversation dull, he did not find anything more interesting to pull him away from it. He traced the oval impression on the dark blue leather bound journal almost lovingly in memory of the volumes of history he left behind at the monastery. At least there no one would take the books. He hoped. The steady turn of wheels and the occasional speed bump kept him from settling in comfortably for the long ride. He detested modern travel methods at times. In such company, he detested it more.

" Is it not always a woman behind a man?" Tanis agreed only slightly. " Does he not fear Viktor? Viktor is dead, but in his time, Viktor commanded the fear of many, used it as a weapon,"

" But why Viktor? Is not Lady Amelia powerful?" Calypso challenged him. In truth she knew so little of the woman that she actually wanted to spend a day in the woman's company. The war hadn't killed Lady Amelia yet, the eldest female turned by Marcus. " She commands many loyal vassals," She bowed her head to Hiro, " As Shino and Kyosuke do. Indeed the clans swore by that loyalty and still do,"

Hiro nodded. " What inspires the loyalty though? Fear? Honor? Duty? Admiration?"

Calypso leaned into HIro, clutching his arm in a familiar friendly manner. " If it soothes you, while I admire Shino for his ability to handle bullshit day in and day out without killing all the aristocrats, I find my loyalty comes from the fact that he still holds me close. Even when he couldn't openly acknowledge me during those dark years. He said that Makoto saved him a great burden of having to watch me leave. I hated him when he said that, and now…I still hate him, but a role is a role," She released her hand off his arm now and nodded to Tanis. " Are you always so grim? You're alive and free, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in,"

Tanis raised the slim journal. " This is all I have left-"

She leaned forward toward him. Her eyes narrowed on him. " All you have left? You've always had rights. When I was born, I had none, and only when taken under Shino's care did I ever get any consideration. My home and family is harmed and gone. My memories stolen by grave robbers. And you complain 06+ a single fucken journal as your sole possession – You who sold ultraviolet ammunition to the lycans through a middle man?!" A harsh laugh ripped from her throat. How could he dare believe himself a great victim in this? So many died, and yet he claimed a single journal to be of his greatest regrets?

Tanis tossed it at her. " You think you're the only person that is harmed by this war-"

" No!"

" You act like you're the center of the world, as if having the ear of two daimyo and one hybrid qualifies you for it,"

" Oh yes, the historian who lied to an entire coven before you were cast out and then you betrayed your own kind!"

Hiro pressed his palm into her shoulder and pushed her back into the seat and pointed at Tanis with his other hand. " Enough. We are all cast out from our homes. If we want to gain back what they took-"

" We can never go back to Kyoto, Hiro," She snapped at him, mourning the fact more than she wanted to admit. " All of our possessions gone. They've stolen our identities, our pasts,"

The pain reflected in his eyes as well. " I know," He whispered, emotion plaguing his voice. " But we move forward. The waystations will be the future, and we will reform the clans, Murakami and Reizei clan will live whole once more, this I promise you," His voice lowered.

" How do you suggest we move forward? No funds,-"

" Finances are provided for," Hiro declared with absolute finality. If Tanis broached the subject again she might witness him knock the historian unconscious. " We move forward as clans, as covens, as people who support each other aside from our idealogical differences. We will not allow the humans to divide us," He held Tanis's stare. " It is who we are. We survived changes in leadership, the fading of the influence of the courts as warriors took control of Japan. We survived natural disasters, and we will survive this. If you aren't strong enough, then you are welcome to depart our company. For better or worse,"

Tanis's jaw worked as Calypso considered decking him herself. Hiro fell back against the seat exhausted from being on the run and protecting the memory of Shino, a man he admired more than any other. In a way she represented everything a proper student should, the sign of a good student. If the daimyo didn't survive this, she'd pass along his teachings faithfully. Tanis understood that unquestionable loyalty too well. Selene exiled him, the same person that exhibited similar till death part loyalty.

Perhaps that's why he feared it, Hiro considered. He'd have to ask Calypso what she'd have done if she had been banished. Would he feel the same now if she'd been banished and somehow survived to this point in history?

The car came to a stop in front of a large manor used as a private learning institution for Catholics. The vampires owned the Vatican, not in the monetary sense but in blackmail. If the Vatican didn't control its people on all continents, the vampires started to remove people from power. Someone died of a drug overdose. Someone's sexual preferences for children or men became public knowledge. As dirty the tactic was, it kept the church in line. Stepping out of the car first Hiro offered his hand to Calypso. " My Lady,"

Tanis started for the building, not even acknowledging the driver loyal to the Murakami clan. Calypso bowed to the driver and thanked him. " You will be repaid, your family taken care of handsomely," She promised the driver needlessly recognizing him as one of the former guards. " I told you once immortality was not so great. Do you see that now?"

He bowed his head. " Yet here you stand, and yet here I stand, not defined by age but actions,"

She took his hand in hers in great relief. " Thank you, for listening, for understanding," Turning on her heel, she took Hiro's arm and walked with him to the school. The students never noticed the new arrival of a new administrative personnel. Nor would they glimpse Hiro or Calypso beyond that point in time. Unlike the students, Hiro and Calypso needed to conduct guerilla warfare socially and economically. The only way to stop the governments was to draw public censure on government spending. If you wanted to hurt the government, target the finances.

And then the social opinion. Vampires and lycan held an advantage – time. They could afford the time to sway social opinions gradually in the right direction. Surviving to see the day they didn't have to look over their shoulder every second would prove to be another challenge entirely of its own tier of difficulty.

Entering the subterranean level through a series of tunnels forgotten about by the church and purposefully kept from church documents and old blueprints, Hiro lead the way using a map. Calypso attempted to commit it to memory using landmarks. Amazed at the complexity and the ability of people to construct such magnificent creations, she forgot about the desire to learn her way through it and instead focused on the fact she could appreciate it instead of watching the sun rise and burning to a crisp. Exiting through a rounded archway, they entered the first of a series of obstacles to prevent outsiders from reaching them so easily as in Kyoto.

The pin code system and vault door stayed as a surefire safety feature. Once Hiro input his code, he dictated her code to her as she put it into the system. As the vault door audibly unlocked and opened by machination, she stepped back expecting a barrage of fire. " Using students as shields almost feels like a dirty move,"

" Do you want a repeat of Kyoto?"

Shaking her head emphatically, she still hadn't forgotten about the sword, the candle, or the sandpaper used on her after Ayaki left her to the hands of his capable comrades. They learned nothing new, and made her pay for the lack of progress in incremental pain and humiliation. At least they didn't rape her, she consoled herself.

" What happened that put you in a dumpster?" He asked finally.

Tanis already had a headstart, escorted to his private quarters and informed of the policies the clan followed. He couldn't overhear. She looked to the floor, holding her hands tightly together as if it'd save her from the painful memory. " Tools of torture, Hiro. The drugs dulled only a little of the pain. I felt…I felt most of it though, and the worst part is I even considered killing the bastard and his comrades. You know me, I don't think that way,"

His brow rose.

" I'm serious, Hiro," She insisted, voice breaking. " I don't want to kill people to survive. I translated for a reason. It didn't feel like a sword and it didn't draw blood. I didn't kill anyone in that profession. They killed themselves by their own stupidity. I merely had to witness it. But they-they thought I was the monster because I was different," She pointed at her chest in emphasis. " I never asked to be different. I spent my entire life trying to be true to who I am-"

" To which you succeeded with great success," Hiro assured her in good spirit to uplift the anger and sadness in her voice.

Dropping her hands at her side, she leaned against the wall of the elevator. It dinged at their stop. The doors opened and a guard held ready a rifle. He lowered it upon seeing Hiro and Calypso. She barely recognized him as a new recruit back when the Covens War just barely started. " The other has been shown to his quarters, he is getting the briefing now," He shared immediately with Hiro.

Hiro pointed to Calypso. " She's the second in command. Calypso, if you need anything, he knows where to find it. I'll make sure you have a personal guard soon enough. We need to rally up the spirits and we need to find out who knows what and how they're using it," His feet carried him off in a different direction as he followed the map.

The soldier bowed his head. " Forgive me, I am…"

" Surprised? So am I. Tell me how to find my quarters. Guard this elevator until a replacement guard is found. Then find me. We have much to discuss and so little time to put it into action," Actually cooperate with Hiro? If anyone dared say she'd be doing this now when she was so young she might have laughed them off. Now, it hardly seemed a stretch at all. Quite natural, almost.

Quick instructions brief in nature and description lead her getting lost, something she welcomed as she oriented herself with the multi-leveled facility. The many staircases, two elevators, three separate exits to the surface, and state of art security and living systems allowed the vampires ease of movement and easier escapes. It lacked the usual display of history, a heartfelt ache she couldn't dismiss, but that didn't mean they couldn't fill it with history. She could let herself be brow beaten or she could fight back. The greatest enemy of destruction was rebuilding regardless of the damage done.

1905 A.D.

A slender blonde haired woman emerged from the coffin in the underground facility. Accepting the strong hand offered to her, a ready smile curved her lips. " Shino," She whispered gazing around at the many curious faces peering back at her. Helping her from the coffin, the elder and clan leader held her within arm reach. He pointed to the first man to his left, dressed similar to him. " This is Lord Kyosuke, and my Regent Hiro. If you need anything, they are the ones to speak to,"

She bowed her head readily to each, a slowed heartbeat speeding up considerably.

" Come, child, exercise your legs freely. No sun here to threaten you," Shino guided her along the corridor from his personal chambers. As blood flowed through her veins, and she re-accustomed herself to being on land again, Calypso Abers started to relax.

The slender floor length skirt and petticoats peeking from beneath the skirt swayed. She ran her hand over a chiffon creamy pink dress. The Gibson Girl hairstyle minus the pad boosting her large bun sharply contrasted that of the more traditional Japanese hairstyles surrounding her. She pulled away from Shino only for a moment. Spreading her arms out at shoulder level, she spun as fast as she could and danced across the corridor, smiling ear to ear as joy overcame her. The fur line laced boots easily gripped the stone preventing her from falling.

A pair of arms caught her. She gazed upon the most angelic face graced with such kindness she could not imagine cruelty twisting its handsome features. " I'm Calypso," She introduced herself, hastily pulling herself from his arms. She grabbed a hold of her skirt and curtsied.

He bowed respectfully. " Makoto at your service," He dropped to one knee before Shino. " Daimyo,"

She turned to face Shino now in confusion. He offered no immediate answer. Instead he offered his arm once more. " You are too new to be dancing about the halls. And your clothing is filthy from the sea water. It needs cleaned," He insisted with utmost charm.

" But you promised-"

" I know, and you will see more of your new home. Would your father approve? Is it too rich for his blood?" He asked her in good spirit, grateful to be home himself. Too long he'd been gone.

Admiring the tapestries and paintings, she clung to Shino like a schoolgirl to her books in a world determined to keep her from being educated. Suffragettes currently fought for female rights. She fled that fight after falling to it, and didn't regret a moment of fleeing. Stopping to admire a traditional kimono on display, she withheld her touch. " I believe my father would bow to you, insist I marry you right away, and wouldn't let me out of his sight until you either turned me away or took me to your bed,"  
The eyes of the man called Hiro never left her. Disapproval colored his seeming neutral expression. She glanced over her shoulder directly at him. Shino redirected her attention to the history adorning the walls, alcoves, and still sported by clan members. " I believe your father forgets the power of a woman,"

" More like my mother forgot the power she can wield…" She left the comment at that, knowing they most likely shared the same views as her father. " Can we talk of something else? My family believes I'm dead and I'm happy to have it that way," She forced a fake smile and leaned in to her creator like a daughter would a father she related to.

Shino nodded. " Whatever you like," One warning glance in Hiro's direction kept the Regent at a distance from the vulnerable foreigner. Nobody would harm his child lest they suffer his wrath.

***In the early 1900s, women like Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, and Alva Belmont just to name a few are part of the reason women in the U.S. have the rights they do today. Their sacrifices must never be forgotten or undermined, and more women should be like them, because we can't depend on men to defend our rights, no matter how much Calypso depends on Shino.***


	15. Give and Take

1905 A.D.

Calypso followed Shino around like a lost puppy, and when seated in the common study surrounded by books, no one saw her for days on end until she emerged from quarters she shared with six other servants carrying a stack of books destined for the common study. Refusing to dress in Japanese fashion, a seamstress started to create her wardrobe at Shino's request. Until then the small selection Shino purchased for her would have to do. She crossed Regent Hiro's path as she started to put the books away, humming under her breath. She hadn't stopped smiling since she first arrived at the living base.

" You can't read our language," He interrupted her as she started to pick out new books to read. " That's something we'll have to change,"

She nodded. " I planned on it. Shino-"

" Daimyo Shino," Hiro corrected her sharply.

" Shino," She insisted with great emphasis. " Is going to start me with a tutor tomorrow. Daimyo Kyosuke taught me the basics though. How to say hello, goodbye, to ask directions…The longer the sentence or question the harder it is to remember…." Glancing at the ceiling, she sighed. " Oh hell, I can't even remember how to say hello,"

Now directly behind her, Hiro used the opportunity to test her intimidation resistance. " How soon do you believe you can remember how to say hello, many here refuse to speak the language of barbarians," His hand inches from her right hip stopped her from turning around. " That's what you are. A foreigner. A gaijin. A barbarian,"

Chewing her lip, Calypso shook her head. Outsider. As a suffragette she understood that word too well. No one courted her, and her father's business partner, a young man of repute, only offered to take her as his wife after she turned into a beautiful young lady. What beautiful children they could have together, he once said to her father as he thought her too focused on needlepoint. " And yet no one dares to pelt me with rotten tomatoes. I guess I've gone up in the world," She insisted too optimistically for Hiro's comfort. Pushing aside his hand, she turned around forcing Hiro to take a step back.

Hiro grabbed her arm. " The only reason you're even suffered is because of who your creator is, When the day comes that he'll no longer support you, I promise you that this clan is no longer a home for you," The threat lingered between them.

Bunching her skirts in her hands, she curtsied. " Have a good day, Regent, I hear it's going to be a busy one with the training exercises," Moving past him, she put away the rest of the books and started to search for more books.

2047 A.D.

Seated at a large round table, Calypso reviewed reports and paperwork. Due to their reduced numbers they needed to take on extra duties once assigned to someone else. Part of her additional duties, other than seeing that the administration functions of the waystation were tended to, included filing everything away for future reference. She needed to create a storage system out of scratch.

Hiro took down notes from his advisor's notes. " I'll need you to update me as soon as you work out the system,"

She glanced up from her scattered efforts. " Of course,"

" Also, when you get the chance, email Daimyo Shino. He misses you,"

" Remember how you used to taunt me when I was a new blood, reminded me of my roots, told me my efforts to change the world didn't matter?" She said out of nowhere. Glancing up, she held his gaze this time. The confusion – and was that fear? – lingered in his blue eyes. " I never forgot, Hiro, even if we must work together,"

He folded his hand across the frosted glass table top. " Times change,"

" Hardly an excuse for the horrible treatment," She shook her finger at him. " Besides, you owe me an apology. Many times over," Returning his attention to the notes, he ignored her hard stare until she moved to her feet and stood behind him. " Hiro, I want an apology. You can't just promote me as your second in command and then forget our history," Venom lingered in the word 'history'.

He remained still, unwilling to give in to her attempt at intimidation. Her hands rested on his shoulders nails digging into the cotton shirt. " Your husband still lives, Calypso. I imagine he wouldn't want to see you taking more lashings,"

" All you have to say is ' I'm sorry'," She whispered in his ear. " You know that Riku will take my side, and if Makoto is still alive, Makoto would attest to the truth of it. It doesn't hurt to remember I never told half of what you called me, said to me to make me abandon Shino…Imagine if I let a few of your more 'colorful' insults come to his attention," Her fingers massaged his tense muscles, expertly tracing over each valley and peak.

He remembered their conversation in the car with Tanis as company. How women ruled men by standing behind them and manipulating the strings, even if they didn't believe it themselves. " You wouldn't," He never apologized for anything.

Her hands worked up his neck. " Try me, Regent. After being pinned to a chair and then treated like a test subject for torture techniques with common place items, I don't care what I have to do to get an apology. You see, being second in command isn't that important to me. Justice is, Now being a second in command coincides with justice. I'd make a great second in command. Wouldn't dream of undermining you. But without that apology…" She tapped her fingers against the side of his neck impatiently.

Through gritted teeth Hiro uttered the words he'd never admit to uttering. " I was wrong,"

" Not an apology,"

" I should have been more considerate of your new blood feelings," He rephrased, fingers tightly intertwined.

Now her fingers dug into his flesh. " Still not an apology," Pushing away from the table, he rose from the padded stool and turned. She took an involuntary step back now as he glared at her. " I never betrayed him, never colluded against him, never treated him as less important. I bowed to him, instead of Marcus and William," Pressing her finger into his chest, she refused to stand down. " Say ' I'm sorry',"

" I'm sorry," He said in a most detached tone.

Her clenched fist started to hurt. " I'm sorry I asked," Stepping to the side she returned to the padded stool and her work. " You'll have your update when I finish this," He pushed a file across the table to her and returned to his work. Reluctant partners in crime, they had a mission to fulfill. Whether they liked each other or not.

A reluctant knock at the door pulled both of their attention away from their work that did not warrant undivided attention. Calypso's appointed second in command cleared his throat. " I'm off duty, is there anything-"

She grabbed a notepad. " Yes, I need you get the names of all the guards. I'll get their personal information later. If we're going to preserve history, we have to record it first, to include information required for a memorial," She started penning down all the small tasks she needed completed. " You don't need to get it all done. Just a little at a time. Don't forget to live your own life, otherwise immortality is pointless," She ignored Hiro's unhappy glance.

Sho nodded. He accepted the notepad and pen.

Hiro glared at her as soon as the door closed again. " I'm sorry. But you weren't the right fit for the clan, you never were…What place does a blond haired white woman have among people not of her race? During those times, with people who hold very similar prejudiced views, you held no chance. You never held a chance of gaining anyone's support. Maybe now you might, when you don't have a Daimyo to shield you from the unpleasant realities and you actually have to earn-"

Her eyes narrowed.

" –your ranking," He finished determinedly.

Rising to her feet, she took the papers, files, and tucked the pen in the bun atop her head. " I forgot how much of an asshole you were," She declared leaving the room in a hurry. He sighed. Could they talk about it like adults without resulting to insults?

Passing several women in the corridor, Calypso huffed. Why did she bother? Seriously! It wasn't as if she wasn't born human. The past is the past, she mused viciously. The past is the past, she needed to get over it. Turning on her heel, she headed back to the room. He did say he was sorry, and he even gave her a reason. She should at the very least recognize that progress in the pre-marriage Darcy-Elizabeth type relationship they had. With her hand on the door handle carved in the shape of a phoenix, she stopped. They needed to work together to save the clans. They wanted to save the clans. In that she could make peace with the past.

The door opened before she could pull it open. She came face to face with Hiro, robbed of a ready response. He cleared his throat. " Look,"

She took a deep breath. " I know. The past is the past. But for the record I didn't sleep my way up the ranks," She shoved her finger in his face. " And I'd never use that tactic to climb the ladder. But, the past is the past. We need to save the clans first, and then everyone else," She held out her hand.

He nodded. The skepticism stayed hidden for the betterment of their fragile relationship. His hand wrapped around hers and one pump of the hand, he pulled his hand back. She tucked her hand against her side debating whether to wash it first. " About Makoto and Riku,"

" I won't say a word to them if you don't start pissing me off again," She announced with an impish grin.

Pressing another file into her hands, Hiro nodded again. " Till our next meeting," He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he rounded the corner and out of sight. Honestly he never intended to anger her that much. Sometimes she took offense so easily. And how was he to know the depth of the hurt plaguing her?

Bumping into an American-Japanese new blood, he caught her in his arms as she almost dropped an armful of bed linen. " You should slow down," He warned her. " We're not under attack," She quickly looked away, her cheeks coloring at the attention and scolding.

His conscience revived by a rough run-in with Calypso peaked. " What's your name?"

" Miranda," She answered shyly, daring to hold his attention with her own. " You're the one they call Regent. The one that's going to save us,"

Each vampire held a story. Calypso died by a thug during the fight for women rights and was reborn Daimyo Shino's favorite child. He, a farmer's son, died at the hands of rogue samurai in a drunk rage. Daimyo Shino turned Daimyo Kyosuke when it became obvious that a second clan needed formed to manage all vampires in Japan, past, present and future. Daimyo Kyosuke sought redemption after being declared Ronin and gained it. Even Calypso's Makoto and Riku held stories of some interest, although Riku's varied in the manner that he was born a vampire instead of made a vampire.

For some reason, he wanted to hear hers. " How did you end up here, Miranda?" He questioned her as he walked alongside her now.

In truth, a truth he refused to address or even recognize, the way she smiled pulled him to her like a moth to flame. Beyond that smile, he wanted to shield her from the pain everyone suffered through at the moment thanks to a set of very difficult circumstances. He couldn't save Calypso, so his redemption could be better directed at a new blood who could use his help. Miranda seemed the perfect person, and how convenient to dispel the guilt pestering him like a sore he couldn't be rid of so easily.

Clutching the bed linen closer to her fuller form, she stared straight ahead. " My ex-fiance became one, and when I discovered his secret, I wanted to leave him. He attacked me. Then told me how much he loved me and wanted me to stay after I woke up as a vampire…" Uncertain green eyes rested upon Hiro's face now. They searched for any sign of disgust. " Nowhere to go, I joined a vampire gang that eventually got rounded up. I escaped, met up with recruits for the clan…and here I am," She shrugged.

" Do you still wish you were human?"

An immediate nod disappointed Hiro. Still he wanted her attention. Wanted her approval. " We are not all like your former lover,"

She shook her head. " Oh, we weren't lovers yet. We decided to abstain from sex until the wedding night, although I suspected he lied about that too. His creator was female," The heavy hint did not reach Hiro's recognition until she already changed subject. " In any case, I know that not everyone is like him. Although the lack of ethnic diversity is a challenge. Those that are here either speak the native tongue and refuse to acknowledge me, or speak the native tongue and think I can learn it in a matter of weeks. That isn't possible,"

" Why not? If Calypso could-"

" Calypso also had the support of Lord Shino, who we are all supposed to bow to one day once more. We are not all fortunate," She pointed out stopping at the door to personal quarters 005.

Hiro blinked, and it dawned on him why Riku and Calypso rarely argued in their later years. They suffered through the same stereotyping and learned how to brush it off. Neither took it personally anymore. Had she slept her way up the rank with Makoto, or did Makoto take an interest without the expectation of a relationship? He wanted to ask the male but knew he never would. " Perhaps that type of attention is better left to those who make better pawns," He advised her cryptically before offering her his best compliments to her dedication and departed for the converted study. Work needed done if they expected to become fully operational.

***I know that the Japanese are a very hospital group of people, HOWEVER they are also a very insular group of people that don't open their arms right away. If I am wrong in this, please tell me. If I am right however, then do enjoy the read and take no offense. People are people, regardless of color of skin. We all bleed red and we all breath the same air (eventually). ***


	16. Forgiveness

1905 A.D.

Calypso followed Shino around like a lost puppy, and when seated in the common study surrounded by books, no one saw her for days on end until she emerged from quarters she shared with six other servants carrying a stack of books destined for the common study. Refusing to dress in Japanese fashion, a seamstress started to create her wardrobe at Shino's request. Until then the small selection Shino purchased for her would have to do. She crossed Regent Hiro's path as she started to put the books away, humming under her breath. She hadn't stopped smiling since she first arrived at the living base.

" You can't read our language," He interrupted her as she started to pick out new books to read. " That's something we'll have to change,"

She nodded. " I planned on it. Shino-"

" Daimyo Shino," Hiro corrected her sharply.

" Shino," She insisted with great emphasis. " Is going to start me with a tutor tomorrow. Daimyo Kyosuke taught me the basics though. How to say hello, goodbye, to ask directions…The longer the sentence or question the harder it is to remember…." Glancing at the ceiling, she sighed. " Oh hell, I can't even remember how to say hello,"

Now directly behind her, Hiro used the opportunity to test her intimidation resistance. " How soon do you believe you can remember how to say hello, many here refuse to speak the language of barbarians," His hand inches from her right hip stopped her from turning around. " That's what you are. A foreigner. A gaijin. A barbarian,"

Chewing her lip, Calypso shook her head. Outsider. As a suffragette she understood that word too well. No one courted her, and her father's business partner, a young man of repute, only offered to take her as his wife after she turned into a beautiful young lady. What beautiful children they could have together, he once said to her father as he thought her too focused on needlepoint. " And yet no one dares to pelt me with rotten tomatoes. I guess I've gone up in the world," She insisted too optimistically for Hiro's comfort. Pushing aside his hand, she turned around forcing Hiro to take a step back.

Hiro grabbed her arm. " The only reason you're even suffered is because of who your creator is, When the day comes that he'll no longer support you, I promise you that this clan is no longer a home for you," The threat lingered between them.

Bunching her skirts in her hands, she curtsied. " Have a good day, Regent, I hear it's going to be a busy one with the training exercises," Moving past him, she put away the rest of the books and started to search for more books.

2047 A.D.

Seated at a large round table, Calypso reviewed reports and paperwork. Due to their reduced numbers they needed to take on extra duties once assigned to someone else. Part of her additional duties, other than seeing that the administration functions of the waystation were tended to, included filing everything away for future reference. She needed to create a storage system out of scratch.

Hiro took down notes from his advisor's notes. " I'll need you to update me as soon as you work out the system,"

She glanced up from her scattered efforts. " Of course,"

" Also, when you get the chance, email Daimyo Shino. He misses you,"

" Remember how you used to taunt me when I was a new blood, reminded me of my roots, told me my efforts to change the world didn't matter?" She said out of nowhere. Glancing up, she held his gaze this time. The confusion – and was that fear? – lingered in his blue eyes. " I never forgot, Hiro, even if we must work together,"

He folded his hand across the frosted glass table top. " Times change,"

" Hardly an excuse for the horrible treatment," She shook her finger at him. " Besides, you owe me an apology. Many times over," Returning his attention to the notes, he ignored her hard stare until she moved to her feet and stood behind him. " Hiro, I want an apology. You can't just promote me as your second in command and then forget our history," Venom lingered in the word 'history'.

He remained still, unwilling to give in to her attempt at intimidation. Her hands rested on his shoulders nails digging into the cotton shirt. " Your husband still lives, Calypso. I imagine he wouldn't want to see you taking more lashings,"

" All you have to say is ' I'm sorry'," She whispered in his ear. " You know that Riku will take my side, and if Makoto is still alive, Makoto would attest to the truth of it. It doesn't hurt to remember I never told half of what you called me, said to me to make me abandon Shino…Imagine if I let a few of your more 'colorful' insults come to his attention," Her fingers massaged his tense muscles, expertly tracing over each valley and peak.

He remembered their conversation in the car with Tanis as company. How women ruled men by standing behind them and manipulating the strings, even if they didn't believe it themselves. " You wouldn't," He never apologized for anything.

Her hands worked up his neck. " Try me, Regent. After being pinned to a chair and then treated like a test subject for torture techniques with common place items, I don't care what I have to do to get an apology. You see, being second in command isn't that important to me. Justice is, Now being a second in command coincides with justice. I'd make a great second in command. Wouldn't dream of undermining you. But without that apology…" She tapped her fingers against the side of his neck impatiently.

Through gritted teeth Hiro uttered the words he'd never admit to uttering. " I was wrong,"

" Not an apology,"

" I should have been more considerate of your new blood feelings," He rephrased, fingers tightly intertwined.

Now her fingers dug into his flesh. " Still not an apology," Pushing away from the table, he rose from the padded stool and turned. She took an involuntary step back now as he glared at her. " I never betrayed him, never colluded against him, never treated him as less important. I bowed to him, instead of Marcus and William," Pressing her finger into his chest, she refused to stand down. " Say ' I'm sorry',"

" I'm sorry," He said in a most detached tone.

Her clenched fist started to hurt. " I'm sorry I asked," Stepping to the side she returned to the padded stool and her work. " You'll have your update when I finish this," He pushed a file across the table to her and returned to his work. Reluctant partners in crime, they had a mission to fulfill. Whether they liked each other or not.

A reluctant knock at the door pulled both of their attention away from their work that did not warrant undivided attention. Calypso's appointed second in command cleared his throat. " I'm off duty, is there anything-"

She grabbed a notepad. " Yes, I need you get the names of all the guards. I'll get their personal information later. If we're going to preserve history, we have to record it first, to include information required for a memorial," She started penning down all the small tasks she needed completed. " You don't need to get it all done. Just a little at a time. Don't forget to live your own life, otherwise immortality is pointless," She ignored Hiro's unhappy glance.

Sho nodded. He accepted the notepad and pen.

Hiro glared at her as soon as the door closed again. " I'm sorry. But you weren't the right fit for the clan, you never were…What place does a blond haired white woman have among people not of her race? During those times, with people who hold very similar prejudiced views, you held no chance. You never held a chance of gaining anyone's support. Maybe now you might, when you don't have a Daimyo to shield you from the unpleasant realities and you actually have to earn-"

Her eyes narrowed.

" –your ranking," He finished determinedly.

Rising to her feet, she took the papers, files, and tucked the pen in the bun atop her head. " I forgot how much of an asshole you were," She declared leaving the room in a hurry. He sighed. Could they talk about it like adults without resulting to insults?

Passing several women in the corridor, Calypso huffed. Why did she bother? Seriously! It wasn't as if she wasn't born human. The past is the past, she mused viciously. The past is the past, she needed to get over it. Turning on her heel, she headed back to the room. He did say he was sorry, and he even gave her a reason. She should at the very least recognize that progress in the pre-marriage Darcy-Elizabeth type relationship they had. With her hand on the door handle carved in the shape of a phoenix, she stopped. They needed to work together to save the clans. They wanted to save the clans. In that she could make peace with the past.

The door opened before she could pull it open. She came face to face with Hiro, robbed of a ready response. He cleared his throat. " Look,"

She took a deep breath. " I know. The past is the past. But for the record I didn't sleep my way up the ranks," She shoved her finger in his face. " And I'd never use that tactic to climb the ladder. But, the past is the past. We need to save the clans first, and then everyone else," She held out her hand.

He nodded. The skepticism stayed hidden for the betterment of their fragile relationship. His hand wrapped around hers and one pump of the hand, he pulled his hand back. She tucked her hand against her side debating whether to wash it first. " About Makoto and Riku,"

" I won't say a word to them if you don't start pissing me off again," She announced with an impish grin.

Pressing another file into her hands, Hiro nodded again. " Till our next meeting," He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he rounded the corner and out of sight. Honestly he never intended to anger her that much. Sometimes she took offense so easily. And how was he to know the depth of the hurt plaguing her?

Bumping into an American-Japanese new blood, he caught her in his arms as she almost dropped an armful of bed linen. " You should slow down," He warned her. " We're not under attack," She quickly looked away, her cheeks coloring at the attention and scolding.

His conscience revived by a rough run-in with Calypso peaked. " What's your name?"

" Miranda," She answered shyly, daring to hold his attention with her own. " You're the one they call Regent. The one that's going to save us,"

Each vampire held a story. Calypso died by a thug during the fight for women rights and was reborn Daimyo Shino's favorite child. He, a farmer's son, died at the hands of rogue samurai in a drunk rage. Daimyo Shino turned Daimyo Kyosuke when it became obvious that a second clan needed formed to manage all vampires in Japan, past, present and future. Daimyo Kyosuke sought redemption after being declared Ronin and gained it. Even Calypso's Makoto and Riku held stories of some interest, although Riku's varied in the manner that he was born a vampire instead of made a vampire.

For some reason, he wanted to hear hers. " How did you end up here, Miranda?" He questioned her as he walked alongside her now.

In truth, a truth he refused to address or even recognize, the way she smiled pulled him to her like a moth to flame. Beyond that smile, he wanted to shield her from the pain everyone suffered through at the moment thanks to a set of very difficult circumstances. He couldn't save Calypso, so his redemption could be better directed at a new blood who could use his help. Miranda seemed the perfect person, and how convenient to dispel the guilt pestering him like a sore he couldn't be rid of so easily.

Clutching the bed linen closer to her fuller form, she stared straight ahead. " My ex-fiance became one, and when I discovered his secret, I wanted to leave him. He attacked me. Then told me how much he loved me and wanted me to stay after I woke up as a vampire…" Uncertain green eyes rested upon Hiro's face now. They searched for any sign of disgust. " Nowhere to go, I joined a vampire gang that eventually got rounded up. I escaped, met up with recruits for the clan…and here I am," She shrugged.

" Do you still wish you were human?"

An immediate nod disappointed Hiro. Still he wanted her attention. Wanted her approval. " We are not all like your former lover,"

She shook her head. " Oh, we weren't lovers yet. We decided to abstain from sex until the wedding night, although I suspected he lied about that too. His creator was female," The heavy hint did not reach Hiro's recognition until she already changed subject. " In any case, I know that not everyone is like him. Although the lack of ethnic diversity is a challenge. Those that are here either speak the native tongue and refuse to acknowledge me, or speak the native tongue and think I can learn it in a matter of weeks. That isn't possible,"

" Why not? If Calypso could-"

" Calypso also had the support of Lord Shino, who we are all supposed to bow to one day once more. We are not all fortunate," She pointed out stopping at the door to personal quarters 005.

Hiro blinked, and it dawned on him why Riku and Calypso rarely argued in their later years. They suffered through the same stereotyping and learned how to brush it off. Neither took it personally anymore. Had she slept her way up the rank with Makoto, or did Makoto take an interest without the expectation of a relationship? He wanted to ask the male but knew he never would. " Perhaps that type of attention is better left to those who make better pawns," He advised her cryptically before offering her his best compliments to her dedication and departed for the converted study. Work needed done if they expected to become fully operational.

***I know that the Japanese are a very hospital group of people, HOWEVER they are also a very insular group of people that don't open their arms right away. If I am wrong in this, please tell me. If I am right however, then do enjoy the read and take no offense. People are people, regardless of color of skin. We all bleed red and we all breath the same air (eventually). ***


	17. Roots

2047 A.D.

Hiding behind a column in the library, Calypso spied on Hiro and Miranda. She grinned ear to ear as she listened to Hiro laugh at Miranda and Miranda tease him. He played with his hands much like Riku did whenever she pinned him into a corner and he just wanted to kiss her but didn't dare to in public. Seeing Hiro actually gazing at Miranda with such tenderness inspired a depth of loss at all the people in her life she came to depend on. Makoto died as a martyr for the cause, and Riku traveled between the waystations delivering crucial information. She didn't expect to see or hear from Shino for some time.

Oh how she missed Mak and Riku. Pressing her back to the column, Calypso sighed and twirled a lock of blond hair around her pointer finger. She didn't need them, she just wanted them. What the heart wanted…

At least Riku didn't need to fight for her attention anymore. Although it made the rose gold bracelet even more precious to her now than ever before. When she tracked it down, she didn't care what it took to get it back. Hiro pressed his lips to her hand in a chivalrous peck. " You are most lovely, Miranda, I wish you could see yourself as I see,"

" I need to lose some weight-"

" You look beautiful as you are," He insisted, the tenderness escaping his voice. " You are forever as you are now, you must accept that,"

Daring a glance, Calypso watched Miranda train her gaze on Hiro. In a blink, Miranda boldly kissed Hiro, causing the older vampire to freeze up and then relax into it. " You should smile more often," She whispered before pulling away. " And I need to make sure the blood supplies are full, with all the newly turned we are going through so much of the supplies,"

Ducking behind the column again, Calypso barely repressed a giggle. She disliked Hiro so much, yet she could not deny him this small reprieve. He earned it. Even if he were an asshole. Miranda left first, then Hiro, but not before he shot the columns a hard, long look full of suspicion.

Making herself seen once more, Calypso casually started moving books around before she found the one she wanted. Opening it, she pulled out a key from the cut out carved in the middle of the book. The rose shaped key settled comfortably in her hand. Clutching it, she put the book off to the side. The key didn't really go to a lock. She made it when she was in her vampire youth after a pearl necklace went missing. No one dared take a key, and in a way, the key became everything she yearned for – privacy, protection, and a reminder that even as she aged chronologically, she'd still have it with her when she turned 300, 400, maybe even 500 if she made it that far into the future.

" My Lady," Sho said, causing her to bump into the wall. She put her hand to her heart and breathed. " The information you asked for," He handed her a notebook.

Taking the little black notebook in hand, she flipped through the pages. " Thank you, Sho, you've been most helpful," Now all she had to do was transfer the information to a spreadsheet on Excel, and update the document as often as needed.

He nodded to the key. " Do you need the key better hidden, My Lady?"

She laughed shaking her head. " Please stop calling me My Lady. I am merely-"

" You are a lady, and you are going to help us regain our security and future again," Sho reminded her.

Resigning to the fact that she could not avoid this unexpected show of gratitude and respect for her age and position, Calypso held the key up so he could see it fully. " This, Sho, is my reminder that I age and can still be anchored in time to when I truly became…a supernatural," She disliked the word immortal.

Vampires could die. By being caught on fire. By being physically traumatized to the point healing became impossible. Removal of a limb meant the complete removal of a limb regardless of mortality status. So really….vampires weren't immortal. They just didn't physically age or change beyond the form they were turned in.

" It helps me remember my roots," She clarified for him. " I once tried to explain to a mortal that immortality is not so clean and perfect. Now to you I share the one secret that keeps me sane, are you ready to hear it, Sho?" She asked in full seriousness.

The Japanese man nodded.

Leaning toward him, Calypso pressed the key into his palm. " You feel that metal? Feel the shape of it? How it does not change? It is an anchor in time and place. It is a reminder that I came from somewhere, that I changed with time, and that I can still change if I am not happy with who and what I am. I needed the reminder because I was not always welcome in the clan, and to some, I'm still not," She shrugged and took the key back. " I hide it because it gives it more mystery. Why should I deny someone the intrigue when they find it? As long as they don't take it…"

Sho ran his hand over his short spiky hair. He didn't yet understand what it meant to survive beyond his short immortal lifespan. " I regret that you need this reminder, you are too warm hearted to need it," She blushed and laughed. " Truly you are. Helping you is better than serving some of the thugs that have taken over the streets and threaten the independence of vampires not wanting part of covens," He stepped closer and picked up the book she took the key from.

" I am only a woman, Sho. Your superior, Shino, is who you should serve more fervently. I only hope you can meet him one day, if we survive all this," She glanced around the study, finding it well decorated for a temporary sanctuary. " Hiro is his Regent. I have no reason as to why he made me his second. Perhaps he fears I'll betray Shino. Or I'll attempt to join Marcus Corvinus, but I'd never do that as long as William Corvinus is an equal to a Shogun,"

His brow rose. " The legendary Corvinus's?" She nodded. " I thought they were only legend," She shook her head. " What happened?"

She motioned for him to sit next to her. " You mean what truly happened? Well, Marcus and William assumed control of our clans, we captured Viktor, and Amelia fled to the safety of the New World Coven leaving the Old World Coven to fend for itself. Of course, the Murakami and Reizei clans stayed together and once the humans caught on to our war against the Covens, we too became hunted. They took our living base in Kyoto in a surprise assault. I was captured, Hiro saved me. Selene and Michael Corvinus, the only other Corvinus I'd actually bow to, are with Daimyo Shino and Kyosuke, So you could say that Marcus and William's crusade for revenge against Viktor and Amelia lead us down this path, but that's not entirely honest either,"

Her captive audience just listened as she mused aloud thoughts buried by the stress of everyday planning and survival. " We are a cursed race, Sho. But we're not dead, and we're not evil. Some of us may be assholes, some of us may be uppity, and some of us may have been dragged into this mess against our will, but we are a race that must come together and fight for our brothers and sisters to live another day. We will never reside in Kyoto again, because there is no taking back the home we lost and our possessions stolen can be taken back over time. Perhaps somewhere else in Japan, but I may never go back. I will always be a clan's member because of who my creator is. What you do is up to you," She placed her hand over his.

He nodded. " It's not home to you,"

" It never was, but the U.S. is not my home either. I don't even really know where home is," Rubbing her brow, Calypso sighed and stood. " I encourage you to do what you must and what feels right. And that ends my preaching, Sho. As I said, I lived too long," Placing the key back in the book, she placed the book back on the shelf happy to have some of the weight off her shoulders.

Everyone needed to find peace. She just found her peace a moment at a time.

1910 A.D.

Feet lighted across the black and white tiled floor of the classically designed ballroom recently installed at the living base. It'd been a short five years since Calypso lived there and five years since she first made Makoto's acquaintance. Now, as good companions and confidante's, they danced across it a day before the big ball to officially welcome it as a new addition to the living base.

Another excuse to celebrate in excess actually, but she didn't care.

Makoto's hands rested on her shoulder and in her hand, a touch most comforting to a tired soul regretting the day she agreed to be turned. Since she started learning the native language, Hiro hounded her. Most days she brushed him off. What were a few words compared to the fists, sticks, and rotten tomatoes directed at suffragettes? Suffragettes disappeared for merely speaking up for their rights. Husbands abused their wives more frequently, and the men who supported women's rights lost employment. Blacklisted. Hiro's relatively harmless actions rarely caused her much pain with Makoto in her company.

On the rare occasion he dared to share his disdain for her in the company of others, the even milder insinuations actually amplified by the unquestioned support of the rest of the clan. She preferred he attack her integrity and honor in private. At least then she could fight back with equal venom and no public repercussions.

" What's going on in your head, Caly?"

She smiled. " You,"

" What am I doing in it?" He released her hand and bowed to her. She mimicked him and let her long hair down. It may be considered unladylike for her to wear her hair down in public, but considering they never left the living base, she never truly left home. So, by reasoning, she didn't need to keep her hair up at all. Long blond waves cascaded down shoulders no longer kissed by sunlight. " Romancing you?" He half-jested.

Nodding again Calypso moved a hand through her hair to work out the knots. " I imagined something a bit more…personal," She hesitated, too afraid to risk outright rejection. " Something like you sweeping me off my feet and telling me how beautiful I am," And preferably a kiss, she thought. The idea of a kiss bestowed upon by him…It sent pleasant shivers up her spine.

An easy smile stayed in place as he bowed his head and lifted her hand to his lips. She swore she felt his eyes creep up her arm, goosebumps rising in anticipation. As if sensing her thoughts, he lowered her hand and pulled her close. She didn't resist. Their bodies against each other in a most inappropriate fashion, the conflicting dress styles meshed together in an oddly star-crossed lover theme. The ankle length dress and floor length petticoats against the umanori hakama matched in color, black and white.

" I want you," She admitted. " You're a man I can trust and care for, almost as fondly as I adore Shino,"

Makoto slid his arm around her waist. " I am very much your senior," He reminded her gently showing no intention of letting her from his arm's reach. " What say you to an official courtship?"

" That requires you to ask Shino for permission since he's the closest thing I have to a father," She couldn't believe her ears. She didn't want to believe otherwise. This truly happened. No, correction. It is happening. Right now. No more wondering. " But why are you saying yes when the rest of the clan clearly is against my presence? Will it not harm your reputation by association?"

A rich laugh graced her ears as he leisurely lead her along. " Has it not already been harmed? I hunt lycan for a living, and when I do not hunt lycan, I serve this clan faithfully as I always have. I have proven myself, if they choose to reject me, then it is their loss," She guessed he wrestled with nerves beyond her comprehension. What did it feel like to ask for the hand of a woman?

Guilt picked at her now. " I'm asking too much, if it'll hurt you, I don't want to know what could be between us. Forget I asked. Friends?"

" No,"

" I won't see you rejected from your home," She insisted in contradiction.

He shook his head. " You made your intentions clear, I intend to do them just honor," He bowed to a passing Hiro. " I am unlikely to gain an audience with the Daimyo. Will you lead the way so we can address this now? I intend to keep you close at the ball tomorrow," The seriousness of his tone silenced any feeble resistance her good character might've summoned.

They walked in content silence until they came to the door of Daimyo Shino's personal quarters. She nodded to Keiji and Reiki. Opening the door since neither stopped her, she strode into the quarters confidently. " Milord!" She called out, quickly glancing over the suit of armor, books, and wardrobe. The empty bed neatly made since this morning undisturbed, she wondered where Shino disappeared to. She hoped she didn't interrupt private time with a consort.

Knocking on the bathroom door, she dared to push open the door. No one. Hmm. Just when she wanted him to be where he was normally. Turning around, she found Makoto admiring the well preserved and much loved armor. " Please don't touch it. I'll have to polish it if you do, he doesn't like fingerprints on it. The only thing I don't clean is his samurai sword actually," Running her hand through her hair again, she refused to wear it up again. Free. Finally free.

Yes, she'd be free of social constraints.

Makoto's head whipped around as the door opened. He knelt. Calypso leaned against the shelf, using it as a shield. " Milord, we require a private-" Words faltered as she laid eyes on Hiro and Kyosuke. Curtsying quickly, she felt even more out of place.

Shino waved his hand to Makoto. " I'll grant the audience after evening meditation," He informed her tersely. " Enjoy your time with your consort,"

" He is not my consort," She corrected him, seeing Hiro's sharp stare rest on her in unspoken accusation. " Not yet, Milord, not without your permission."

Shrewd attention now sized up Makoto much more closely than ever before. " You see permission for marriage?" He clarified.

Her jaw went slack and words failed her. " I'd rather not discuss this in front of _him_," She nodded to Hiro. " After evening meditation, I will return," She offered her hand to Makoto in passing, helping him to his feet. Hiro locked eyes with her, the unspoken hatred clear to both Daimyo. " Daimyo," Bowing her head to Kyosuke, she departed before Hiro could cause her to become even more unnerved.

Once they turned the corner out of Keiji and Reiki's sight, Makoto ran his hand along her forehead and cheek. " He can not hurt you. The Daimyo would not allow it,"

Twisting away from his touch, she shook her head. " Words hurt too, Makoto. They're worse than fists, sticks, stones, and rotten vegetables. They fester like a disease and take longer to forget, excuse me I'm not in good humor and need to rest before I must appear with Shino tonight," Walking away from him, Calypso needed to find her center before she lost her head at the wrong moment.

" I will be your shield and sword," He called after her determined to earn Shino's permission even if it took years.

***Okay, so I have to devote an entire chapter to Makoto's meeting with Shino because it would be a crime not to,***


	18. Bonus Chapter 3

2010 A.D.

Makoto knelt in front of Shino as the men sized each other. Calypso attempted to read a book on the crusades that tore Europe apart, only to put it down too many times to even absorb a sentence. She noted the way the men remained silent and the comfortable manner in which both seemed certain of their success. Shino's goal eluded Calypso, since she never grasped her creator's view of the world. Makoto vowed to protect her, what good did that do when he couldn't be around all the time?

Behind a white shoji screen divider, she sat on the tatami mat barefoot.

Both men studied her silhouette through the screen. " She's precious, Makoto," Shino said softly, his fingers curled into the pleats of the umanori hakama over the kimono he wore beneath the hakama. " You can not harm her,"

" I believe more harm is coming to her from the Regent than myself, the fear in her voice when she requested his lack of presence," Makoto said calmly even as his nerves jumped ever so erratically. He never broke the stare leveled on him knowing if he looked away prematurely it'd seal any opportunity of him gaining Shino's full approval. Anything short of full approval meant he'd never truly hold Calypso.

The daimyo sat like a statue, ever so still that he appeared lifeless. His breaths even, yet the jealousy he felt within. His child chose her path, and now she wanted his approval for it. He didn't know whether to feel fatherly pride or fear. So young, only nineteen years of age, and now chronologically twenty-four years of age, she chose a vampire two centuries her elder. One day he knew this would happen.

" My Regent treats her no different than the rest of the clan, I see no reason to reprimand Hiro for reminding her of the obstacles she must overcome,"

" You forget that she is new and a member of authority specifically, what is she to believe when the clan is rallied against her?"

Shino laughed. " You take her side in a fight not yours to wage? One might accuse her of bedding her way through the ranks, considering your own rank," He admired the fury within Makoto at the accusation. Good. He needed someone to care for her like that.

Makoto glanced to the divider, surprised that Shino let his pet child be targeted so easily. " You don't fear someone might defy you and take her life? That she might take her own?" He pointed to the divider. " Words fester like a disease. I'd say she'd prefer sticks and stones more,"

" It doesn't matter what she prefers, this is her home and her new life," He forced Makoto's attention to the armor Calypso warned him against touching. " She will grow into it as I grew into that, as you grew into your role. It will happen, and she will thank me in years to come,"

He couldn't stand the blasé attitude taken. Holding his tongue, Makoto entrenched himself even more in the plan to rescue the damsel in distress. " You could earn her goodwill faster by giving her the freedom to take me as her consort, to give her the proper image so no one calls her less than a lady," He wanted to believe that the court upheld more focus on other things than morals. Morals could be a double edged sword that served no one equally.

" You'd do that? You'd make her proper?"

Calypso threw the book, knocking over a basket and the dirty clothes in it.

Makoto ignored the tell tale thud she listened in on the conversation that Shino no doubt wanted her to overhear. He thought she left, Shino ordered her to. Or did he? " She already is a lady. If you refuse this request, you force her hand. As a father to her, can you suffer that?" Guilt tripping sometimes worked. As of now, it was the only method that safely spared Calypso's fragile balance. " I need not list my achievements. The Regent made them clear to you after we left,"

" You think your achievements earn her attentions?" Shino demanded. " You are a mere 258 years of age, only killed three lycans, and served without distinction,"

" And she is a new blood, a mere servant, and insults multiple people daily. I believe she offends the Regent twice a day, if not more, by her mere presence," He countered without giving an inch.

Calypso stood next to the divider, arms crossed over her chest. Is that all she was? Shino wielded tough love like it was the king of teach tools. Starting now she wanted nothing to do with either man, yet her heart ached for both men to be a part of her life. How could Shino just abandon her to the wilds of nature and how dare Makoto play down her hard work? The ungrateful-

Shino appeared in front of her. He held out his hand to her. " You are free to escort the samurai death dealer to his quarters, " He whispered so only she heard.

" He can find his own way back,"

" You will escort him back,"

" I will not," She announced very pointedly. " After all, what are his achievements worthy of recognizing?" Picking up the basket, she shoved the dirty clothes in them. " I'll see to it these get washed first, at least clothes don't treat me like a child," Sweeping past him with the basket in hand, she didn't even acknowledge Makoto.

Makoto reached for her. " Don't touch me." She turned to the door. " Wouldn't want Hiro calling me a whore in private,"

Shino stood only a few feet behind Makoto. " Her tongue is sharper than any sword, and her heart more forgiving than any deserve," He nodded to Makoto. " I should have a word with my Regent, before he digs his own grave," If he could inspire her to utter his regent's name with respect then he could trust if he ever rested for a decade that the clan never would have to face a servant and regent at war with each other.

" Barbarians don't need swords when their tongues are a more effective weapon, but that requires one to have influence aside from her creator. I'll abide by her wishes,"

" She chose you, and not for age," The statement sounded more like a question.

Makoto bowed deeply. " I dare not believe I know her mind and heart, and I respect both,"

" She is my child, and if you harm her," The two men locked stares, and then they both looked away at the same time. " There will be no hole deep enough to hide you,"

As soon as Makoto closed the door, he took a deep breath. Some days he wanted to strangle his Daimyo. No hole deep enough could protect a father believing he was protecting his children by putting them through unnecessary trials.


	19. Blood Lets Blood

Times change, and with the times, so do people. Driven 'underground' by the multiple governments working together in collusion to secretly eliminate a threat to humanity, lycans and vampires severed all contact with each other turning their divided attention onto the humans hunting them into extinctions. As more human innocents turned up dead, the desire to destroy the lycans and vampires grew into an urgency almost impossible to contain from the common populace. By the graces of everything holy and unholy, the common populace never learned of credible proof of their existence or that of the colluding governments nefarious plans.

Collecting information and quietly growing 'the family', Calypso masterminded the beginning infrastructures of a promising alliance that could gain the supernaturals a foothold in human political workings and social engineering. With Hiro providing and directing the muscle behind it, the once warring pair cooperated harmoniously. Occasionally Hiro granted Miranda a 'step up' from her lowly position, gaining the ire of Calypso. Often times he ignored the pangs of guilt, reasoning that unlike Calypso, Miranda needed the support since she had no mentor.

Despite the cracks in their cooperations, the pair communicated frequently enough with Daimyo Shino and Daimyo Kyosuke to ensure the spread of advantageous information. The Extermination War, as it became named by the masses of the hunted supernaturals, didn't really begin until it claimed Raze's life. The werewolf killed a dozen police officers before he fell to a barrage of bullets. The media called it a stunt for publicity. Vampires and lycan based movies exploded in popularity.

Raze's death inspired Lucian to lead an all out defensive that resulted in near slaughter. When the humans took nearly two dozen living lycans captive and turned them into laboratory study subjects, the vampires joined the war. Different cells went active, resulting in the destruction of lycan corpses hoarded by goverments worldwide and freeing the known captives. Scientific research stayed in vampire hands, to be used later for their own patents and scientific gains.

To say that the end of peace as the supernatural knew it proved true. Artifacts even remotely considered to belong to either race moved from little to no security sites to high security sites under a variety of excuses. Museums underwent renovations. Bank vaults needed replaced with better vaults. Safes aren't fireproof. The excuses ran thin as someone claimed ownership of an item and held the paperwork for it. Tracking everything down took time and effort, an effort not spared or neglected by those who lost so much of their history in one fell swoop.

When it came down to it, pushed across the line, even the passive like Calypso lost sight of the need for peace. Blood spilled demanded revenge.

If it was war they wanted, it would be war they'd wage.


End file.
